Q. Why do we Flush Hydrants?
A.The Water Department has a semi annual water main and hydrant flushing program. Every April and October the nearly 1000 hydrants are flushed, it takes approximately ten to twelve weeks. Flushing times are Sunday through Thursday between 7:00pm and 3:00am starting at the Easton town line working westerly towards the Attleboro town line. Flushing involves the use of high velocity water to scour the inside surfaces of the water mains. This process allows us to flush out iron and manganese particles; however it also creates discolored water. Discoloration varies from pale yellow to dark brown and may include particles. Because the water system’s infrastructure is a continuous loop this discoloration can occur anywhere in the system during the flushing program regardless of where the hydrants are
being opened.
Therefore it is recommended that you use caution when using filtering systems, washing machines, dishwashers etc. Keep bottled water on hand for your convenience.
Q. How do you Handle Property Transfers?
A. Property transfers are handled with no interruption of service. When a municipal lien certificate is requested by the closing attorney we will do a final meter reading and prepare the final figure for the closing. New property owners should contact the office approximately two weeks after closing and verify accuracy of account information.
Q. How Do I Obtain Water Service (Residential or Commercial)?
A. Customers requesting a new water service must complete an application permit. An official address must be issued to the property prior to requesting an application form. (Lot numbers will not be accepted)
These new services are subject to permit and service fees. Please see Service Fees for information on these charges.
All new services must meet the specifications of the Norton Water Department. Please see Rules and Regulations.
Contact the office with any questions at 508-285-0280
Q. Can I use Sprinklers on the Lawn?
A. The Town of Norton does not allow automatic sprinklers of any type to be tied into the municipal water system, including those attached to a garden hose and outside spigot.
Irrigation systems must be installed with a private well. Call the Board of Health for more information on private wells at 508-285-0263.
Q. Why Can’t I use Lawn Sprinklers?
A. First and foremost, the concern and goal of the water department is to produce and deliver SAFE DRINKING WATER to all of our customers. The cost to produce and chemically treat the water supply is very expensive. The cost factor alone should be enough to deter automatic sprinkler usage. Yes, green lawns are very nice looking but should not be maintained at the expense of EVERY water rate payer! Your option is to use a private well for irrigation purposes. Second, ALL municipalities, not just Norton, fall under state and federal guidelines. One of these guidelines is the amount of water you are allowed to pump out of the ground. This is known as the Withdrawal Permit. Exceeding the Withdrawal Permit results in substantial fines and penalties to the Town of Norton. Finally, given the
choice between sprinkler use and adequate water and pressure for fire protection during the highest demand season, the latter is the obvious and sensible choice.
Q. Why is the Water Discolored So Often?
A. High amounts of iron and manganese cause the discoloration. These are natural elements found in ground water. You must consider that out of the 120 miles of water main in town, almost 80% are more than 50 years old! That causes a lot of iron and manganese build up. Any time there is a surge or disruption in the system from wells turning on/off, fire hydrant use, water main breaks or hydrant flushing; sediment is stirred up and travels through the system. Because it is a blended system, it doesn’t matter where the disruption occurs, all areas of the town can be affected.
Q. What Can Be Done About the Iron Problem and is the Water Safe?
A. In a perfect world the solution would be to build a $30M filtration plant (a little steep for Town Meeting voters). In reality we have a vigorous hydrant flushing program, which is done twice a year, and a water main replacement plan. Although the water can be unsightly, the water is actually safe. For more information you can call 508-285-0282.
Q. Why do I have Green Stains on My Fixtures?
A. When Water sits unused overnight, copper deposits that have dissolved in your home’s copper plumbing system may cause a green or blue-green stain on kitchen or bathroom fixtures. Copper stains may be the result of a leaky faucet or a faulty toilet flush valve, so be sure your plumbing is in good working order.
Copper stains may also be caused by overly hot tap water. Generally speaking you should maintain your water temperature at a maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You should consult the owner’s manual for your hot water heater or check with your plumber to determine your current heat setting. Lowering your water temperature will reduce the staining problem and save you money on your energy bill.
Also keep in mind that a frequently used tap usually will not produce copper stains, so if you flush the tap for a minute or so before using the water for cooking or drinking, copper levels will be reduced.
Q. What About Lead in My Drinking Water?
A. If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and your home’s plumbing system. The Norton Water Department is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the
Safe Drinking Water Hotline 800-426-4791 or at on the EPA website.
Q. Is Bottled Water Better?
Q. How Much is My Water Worth?
A. You currently pay $130 per year or $32.50 per quarter to have water available to you 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That means that there is always somebody working at the Water Department, every day no matter what. If you do the math, your price of having available drinking water is 35 cents per day or just over a penny per hour. Also consider what you pay for bottled water; at the very least it’s $0.99/gallon, that’s $990.00/1000 gallons. Even at our highest rate you will only be paying $6.22/1000 gallons and that’s delivered. What do you pay for other utility services delivered to your house?
This is a small price to pay when you consider all that it takes to get the water to your home or business. For example the Water Department operates and maintains 5 wells and 2 booster pumps stations all with electric motors. The Department pays for the electricity to run these motors. The electricityfor a year costs the Department $135,000. This is about $370 per day for the electricity alone to run the system. This does not include the personnel, maintenance, chemicals, water testing, training, vehicles, tools, engineering, telephone, or heat required to operate these pump stations and keep them pumping water to you.
The Department is not in business to make a profit - we are here to provide you with continuously monitored safe drinking water. Additional fees charged for various permits or services help create a surplus. This money is put into a surplus account for improvements to the system. In the past this money has been used to fund the engineering and construction of a new well, the rehabilitation of three existing wells and several thousand feet of water main upgrades done both in house and contracted out, as well as purchasing new equipment including a backhoe. Money has also been designated to construct a new Water Department Office/Garage complex, if you’ve visited us at our current location in the DPW Building, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s time to move on. These projects funded by surplus money
instead of bond issues have saved you the rate payer tens of thousands of dollars in costs and interest. Our dedicated, knowledgeable and hard working staff continues to strive to meet the concerns and needs of our customers. Please have faith in us and thank you for the continued support. Your $32.50 Quarterly fee is NOT for NOTHING.
Q. What Can I Do to Conserve Water?
A. · If you are building a new home, or remodeling an existing one, install low flow faucets and fixtures.
· Take short showers rather than baths. Use low flow showerheads. Less water is typically used during a shower than during a bath.
· Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave.
· Avoid flushing toilets unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
· If the toilet flush handle frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.
· Insulate your water pipes.
· Turn off the faucet while you shave, brush your teeth, or hand wash dishes.
· Avoid running water in the shower while you are shampooing or soaping.
· Attach a pistol-type sprayer to the end of your garden hose.
· If you water your lawn, do so only when absolutely necessary. Lawns need only one inch of water per week from all sources. If there has b been an inch of rain in the week, you don’t need to water.
· Use mulch around trees and shrubs and in garden beds.
· Use plant varieties that are adapted to you locality and soil conditions.
· Use an inexpensive rain gauge to measure rain and watering efforts.
· Never water at mid-day to prevent high evaporation and sunburned grass.
· Use shut-off nozzles on hoses and automatic shut-off devices on irrigation systems.
· Limit pesticide and fertilizer use.
· Practice good septic system maintenance.
Your help in following these tips will help in protecting the water resources of Norton.
Q. What Substances Might be in My Drinking Water?
A. Sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals, and in some cases, radioactive material. It can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
Pesticides and herbicides, this concern may come from a variety of sources such as agricultural, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production; and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
In order to provide tap water that is safe to drink, DEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Q. How Do I Read My Water Bill?
A. The Town of Norton uses Neptune meters which measures water in cubic feet.
Residential meters have six dials (looks like an odometer) the last two digits represent hundredths.
The town bills in hundred cubic feet. (See water rates)
The following is an example:
Previous meter reading 0056 33 (last two digits are hundredths)
Current meter reading 0089 88
Your bill would show:
Previous reading 56
Current reading 89
Consumption 33 (which is actually 3300 cubic feet)
Using the current rate structure (see water rates) with the example above your bill would calculate as follows:
Consumption 33 (3300cubic feet)
The first 1200 cubic feet = $26.00
The next 1800 cubic feet = 54.00 ($3.00/100c.f. = $3.00 x 18 = $54.00)
The next 300 cubic feet = 14.04 ($4.68/100c.f. = $4.68 x 3 = $14.04)
3300 cubic feet = $94.04
The Capital charge is 25% of your water bill: 25% x $94.04 = $23.51
Your bill would be:
Current Water $ 94.04
Current Capital 23.51
Total Due $117.55
Other Important Water Facts:
1 cubic foot of water = 7.48 gallons
100 cubic feet of water = 748 gallons
Did you know that the average use of water per person per day is 55 gallons? For a family of four that equals 220gallons a day, 6690 gallons a month, over 20,000 gallons a quarter (OR 2700 cubic feet)!
How Does Your Water Use Per Quarter Rate?
0 - 1200 cubic feet - conservative usage
1200 - 3000 cubic feet - average Usage
3000 - 5000 cubic feet - high usage
Above 5000 cubic feet - excessive usage
Q. Where Does My Water Come From?
A. The Town of Norton's drinking water supply is ground water, which comes from the Taunton River Basin. The ground water supply is not exposed to air and is not subject to direct pollution and contamination unlike a river or reservoir (surface water).
In fact, ground water is the highest quality water available to meet the public health demand of water intended for human consumption. Demand for good drinking water is high. We provided approximately 1.3 million gallons of drinking water each day (roughly 52.4 gallons per capita per day) during 2007.
Our distribution system consists of five gravel-packed wells located on Pine Street, Plain Street and Newland Street. Four storage facilities store a combined amount of 5.85 million gallons of water (State regulations require a one day minimum of water storage supply) and approximately 120 miles of water main. The wells are located within our Water Resource Protection District, an essential tool for protecting our water source. In 1980, the Town established and accepted our district and our bylaws; they have since been incorporated into the Town's zoning bylaws.
Q. How is my Water Treated and Purified?
A. All five active wells have potasium hydroxide added for corrosion control. This adjusts the final pH and alkalinity. Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) is added for disinfection. We carefully monitor the amount of chlorine, adding the smallest quantity necessary to protect the safety of your water without compromising taste. AquaMag, a blended polyphosphate corrosion inhibitor, is injected into the water to sequester iron and manganese; it also helps to protect the lining of the water mains.
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