Lexington Water Department (MWRA)

Lexington Water Department (MWRA) Municipal Water Report Info

About the Water/Sewer Division
The Town of Lexington is a member of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and purchases approximately 2 billion gallons of water annually. The MWRA also processes and disposes of the town's sewage. In a welcome financial relief measure, the State Legislature allocated $49 million for MWRA communities, resulting in an $833,076 reduction in Lexington's MWRA assessment. Since this program began, Lexington has received $4,646,319 in state assistance.

The typical residential water/sewer bill can be estimated by multiplying 15 units (where 1 unit equals 100 cubic feet) by the number of household residents during the billing period.

Meter Installation Program
Lexington offers residents the option to install a second meter specifically for outdoor watering. Water used through this secondary meter is charged only the water rate, not sewer fees. To date, approximately 3,898 secondary water meters have been installed throughout the town.

Water/Sewer Infrastructure
The water system includes:

• 158 miles of water mains
• 2 water towers storing 3 million gallons
• 1,500 fire hydrants
• 3,400 street and hydrant control valves
• Approximately 10,000 residential control valves at property lines

Four major water transmission lines serve Lexington:

• 16" main at Summer Street
• 16" main on Massachusetts Avenue in East Lexington
• 12" main at Watertown Street
• 24" main on Concord Avenue

The sewer system consists of:

• 137 miles of street line sewers
• 34 miles of trunk line sewers
• 10 sewer pumping stations
• 4,924 manholes

Pumping Stations
Main Pumping Station, Worthen Road, Brigham Road, North Street, Marshall Road, Potter Pond, Concord Avenue, Hayden Avenue, Bowman Street, and Constitution Road Pumping Stations.

Department Structure
Staff are cross-trained to handle all divisional responsibilities and participate in snow removal operations. The distribution team (six employees) responds to resident service calls, maintains water control equipment, handles meter reading and installation, and oversees the cross-connection control program. They also mark service locations for contractors and assist the Engineering Division.

To ensure high-quality drinking water, staff conducts an annual system-wide water flushing program during September and October. Water is tested weekly for bacteria and coliform at nine sampling locations, with all results publicly available.

The sewer maintenance team (three employees) maintains the 170.7-mile pipe network and 10 pumping stations, implements the main flushing program, and manages station maintenance to ensure safe wastewater discharge. These technicians have specialized knowledge of electrical systems including relay and pressure switches.

The construction section (three employees) handles lead service replacements, installs new control valves, replaces defective valves, and oversees hydrant, sewer main, and service replacements.

Staff regularly attend training on confined space entry, cross-connection control, water sampling procedures, and hydrant maintenance. Six employees hold State Certification as Drinking Water Facility Operators (one Grade 4, three Grade 3, and one Grade 1), while three are Certified Back Flow Testers and Cross Connection Surveyors.

The team responds to emergency repairs 24/7, working to minimize service disruptions despite sometimes challenging repair locations and conditions.