Discolored Water Update From The Sharon Water Department Supervisor

Press release from the Town of Sharon:

August 30, 2021

The Sharon Water Department will be flushing hydrants this fall due to an increased number of discolored water concerns throughout the town.

We were only able to complete 1/3 of our typical hydrant flushing program this spring due to capacity issues from the shutting down of our largest (1 Million Gallons Per Day) supply well early this spring.

This supply well is not only our largest supply well, but also the Town’s best water quality source. The discolored water has been more prevalent this summer due to having to run all other supply wells at permitted capacities to keep up with the Town’s water usage demands.

These other wells, having higher amounts of iron/manganese in addition to not completing our flushing program this spring, are the cause of this increased amount of discolored water throughout the distribution system.

The Sharon Water Department has been able to put our largest supply well back online at 1/2 Capacity (500,000 Gallons Per Day) after permitting and installing a temporary treatment facility, with plans to have it back up to full capacity by spring 2022. Our hope and plan is to complete our flushing program this fall starting on September 20, 2021 when daily usage will be at a level where we can flush hydrants and still have adequate capacity to supply the Town’s water needs.

There is additional information on Iron/manganese FAQ on the water department portion of the Town of Sharon Website.

Thanks for your patience in this matter and rest assured we are doing all we can to resolve these
issues.

Robert Terpstra
Water Department Supervisor

This press release was produced by the Town of Sharon. The views expressed here are the author’s own.