Framingham Water Department (MWRA)

Framingham Water Department (MWRA) Municipal Water Report Info

The City of Framingham is a diverse community located in eastern Massachusetts, approximately 20 miles west of Boston and 197 miles from New York City. With nearly 68,000 residents, Framingham serves as the hub of the Metro-West region. It borders Southborough and Marlborough to the west, Sherborn and Ashland to the south, Natick to the east, Wayland to the northeast, and Sudbury to the north.

Government Structure
Framingham operates under a mayoral system where the Mayor functions as the executive branch overseeing City operations, while the elected City Council serves as the legislative branch. Before transitioning to a city government structure, Framingham held the distinction of being the largest town with a Town meeting form of government, reflecting residents' strong value of civic participation.

Community Features
Framingham offers a distinctive blend of urban and rural characteristics including:

• Excellent public services
• Well-regarded educational system
• Full-service community hospital

Water Infrastructure
Framingham Public Works recently produced a documentary highlighting the 50+ mile journey our water travels to reach residents, the critical importance of infrastructure maintenance, and the 27+ mile journey wastewater takes for treatment before returning to the earth's water cycle.

Water Department Responsibilities

• Distribution of public potable water through a complex network of pumps, pipes, valves, and reservoirs
• Provision of fire suppression service to 17,000 residential and commercial accounts

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) System Features

• 250 miles of pipeline
• 17,000 service connections
• 2,000 hydrants
• 4,800 gate valves
• 22,000 meters
• Four pumping stations
• Two booster stations
• Six above-ground water tanks (storage capacity of nearly 9 million gallons)

Framingham Water System Analysis
Recently, Blake Lukis (Framingham Water and Wastewater Department Director), Ashley Dunn (Senior Engineer), and consultant Robert Mackie of BETA presented a paper on Framingham's Water Distribution System that was published in the New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) Journal. The paper was reprinted with permission from the Journal of New England Water Works Association, V129 Number 3, September, 2015.