Where Does My Water Come From?

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.