Wayland Will Turn On New MWRA Emergency Water Connection

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland will soon turn on the town's new connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority supply, delivering water from the Quabbin Reservoir for the first time.

The switch will happen July 30, and has been planned since the town got its emergency connection in June. Town officials have said previously that a July switch was likely to perform work on wells in the Happy Hollow area.

Wayland began exploring an MWRA connection after PFAS chemicals were found in town wells above a new state threshold three years ago. The problem was focused on the Happy Hollow well field, where PFAS levels were close to 30 nanograms per liter (ng/l) of water compared to the state threshold of 20 ng/l.

Wayland residents may notice a difference in MWRA water due to how it's treated as it flows east from the Quabbin. MWRA uses a chemical called chloramine — a combo of chlorine and ammonia — to disinfect water, while Wayland only uses free chlorine. Chloramine tastes less bleach-like, but the chemical may be harder on older copper and lead pipes. Find out more about the treatment process from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MWRA water also has high pH, making the water more alkaline, to reduce the risk of pipe corrosion.

At the same time, Wayland water won't solely be coming from MWRA. After the switch on July 30, the town will still rely on local wells for about two-thirds of the water supply, and only some portions of town will get a majority MWRA water.

"The MWRA interconnection will primarily supply the southern and eastern portions of the water system while the Town sources will supply the western, central, and northern parts of Town. Blending of sources will primarily occur in the water main in Old Connecticut Path between Cochituate Road and the Reeves Hill Tank, but it may also occur in areas around this location," the town described in a bulletin this week.

The town will also be monitoring the mix of water to make sure that the chlorine and chloramine processes don't hurt water quality.