Somerville recognizes the hard work of the City’s water professionals in ensuring the safety and quality of this vital resource 

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Water and Sewer Department invite community members to celebrate Drinking Water Week from May 7-13.

Drinking Water Week is designated by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) to recognize the critical role water plays in supporting quality of life in communities across the country. Drinking Water Week in Somerville is marked with a Proclamation by Mayor Ballantyne affirming the City’s commitment to responsible stewardship of this vital natural resource. 

“Safe drinking water is essential to public and environmental health,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “I want to recognize the hard work the city’s water professionals undertake to repair, maintain, and improve Somerville’s over 100 miles of water mains. Ensuring the safety and quality of drinking water is fundamental to the well-being of our city.”

Among other efforts to improve Somerville’s water infrastructure, the city’s Water and Sewer Department alongside the Division of Infrastructure and Asset Management has led a targeted initiative to remove all traces of lead from the city’s water infrastructure. Somerville is proud to be doing this work alongside a coalition of 120+ government agencies, local communities, and organizations from across the country as part of the inaugural cohort of the Biden-Harris Get the Lead Out Partnership.

In 2019, with funding from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) Lead Loan Program, the city launched its Lead Service Line Replacement Program to replace the full length of all lead service lines, including the portion owned by the property owner, at no cost to the owner.

At the time of the program’s launch, available records indicated 450 service lines, or about 3.6% of all service lines citywide, were known or suspected to contain lead. Since then, the city has successfully replaced 194 of those 450 service lines, prioritizing homes with young children and multi-unit properties. The city is on pace to remove all known or suspected lead pipes from its water infrastructure by 2025.

Learn more about Somerville’s water infrastructure and how the city’s Water and Sewer Department works to ensure high-quality and dependable service at somervillema.gov/w&s.