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Millis DPW reports pressure problems, seven water-main breaks after tank work; Farm Street tank refilled, lab tests pending
Summary
Town staff told the Planning Board that taking a Farm Street water tank offline for inspection while a third well was out of service coincided with seven water-main breaks and low pressure across town; the tank has been refilled and the town is awaiting lab results.
Town staff told the Town of Millis Planning Board on July 8 that the town experienced low water pressure and multiple main breaks after the Farm Street water tank was taken offline for routine cleaning while Well 3 was also out of service for construction of a PFAS treatment system.
According to the Town staff member reporting to the board, both municipal storage tanks are nearing 100 years of age but receive regular maintenance; the Walnut Street tank had been inspected and returned to service in late May or early June with no problems. The Farm Street tank was emptied for inspection about a week and a half before the meeting and was the larger of the two tanks, the staff member said.
The staff member said demand during hot weather, including irrigation, put strain on the system while Well 3 (serving Birch Street/Village Street) was offline for construction of a new PFAS treatment plant. With the Farm Street tank out of service, water came mainly from Wells 1, 2 and 4, and pressure in parts of town dropped.
The report said the town experienced seven water-main breaks last week; DPW crews repaired each within hours, with the longest outage limited to about four hours on Pleasant Street. The Farm Street tank was cleaned and refilled; staff said the town is waiting on laboratory results to confirm there is no E. coli contamination. Low pressure could persist for several days, the staff member said, but the town expected the system to return to normal by the weekend.
The staff member reminded residents that the town issues alerts by phone and email and posts updates on the Town of Millis website and the town Facebook page; residents who are not receiving notifications were urged to sign up with the select board/dispatch notification system and to check the website for updates.
The Planning Board did not take any formal action on the report; it was provided for the board's information and to alert residents to possible short-term pressure issues and ongoing repairs.
