Clean, dependable water underpins our community’s health, economy, and daily life. To protect it, we’re launching a brief Water Quality Survey open to everyone—Lunenburg Water District customers and private-well owners alike. Your insights on taste, odor, pressure, hardness, redundancy and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will help us set smart priorities and invest wisely. Just a few minutes of your time will steer resources where they matter most and keep progress transparent, ensuring a safe, sustainable water future for all.

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* Name

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* Address

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* Telephone Number (Optional)

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* Are you currently a District Customer, a Private Well Owner or a user of Lunenburg water?

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* If you presently rely on a private well, would you consider connecting to the District’s water supply if it were available to you?

TASTE

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* How would you rate the taste of the water supplied by the Water District

ODOR

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* How noticeable is any odor in the water that is supplied by the District?

PRESSURE

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* If your property is served by the District, how would you rate the water pressure at your tap?

HARDNESS
Hard water carries extra calcium and magnesium picked up from limestone and similar rock. These minerals react with soap, lowering suds and leaving a film on skin, hair, and fixtures. When heated, they deposit as scale that clogs pipes, coats heaters, and raises energy costs. Water above roughly 120 mg/L (7 gpg) of calcium carbonate is labeled “hard” the District supplies combined water from all the sources at 100 – 120 mg/L. Though not harmful, many households use softeners, salt-free conditioners, or reverse-osmosis units to keep plumbing clear and soaps effective.
Hardness Water Scale

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* How would you describe the hardness of the water from your tap (i.e., how much mineral build-up or difficulty lathering soap do you notice)?

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* Do you have a water softener, salt-free conditioner or reverse-osmosis unit installed at your property?

REDUNDANCY
Redundancy—backup sources, treatment trains, pumps, and power—turns a water system from fragile to resilient. Extra wells keep water flowing if one runs dry; parallel treatment units let work continue during maintenance; looped mains and storage tanks preserve pressure when a main breaks; and generators hold the system steady in blackouts. These layers protect health, support essential services, and speed recovery after storms, fires, or cyberattacks. In short, redundancy is the insurance that keeps safe water on tap when it matters most.

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* How concerned are you about the District’s water supply having adequate backups (e.g., alternate sources, standby pumps, emergency power) to keep water flowing during disruptions?

PER- and POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS)
PFAS (“forever chemicals”) can leach from industrial sites, landfills, airports, and firefighting-foam areas into rivers and aquifers, then into public water systems and private wells. Because their carbon-fluorine bonds hardly ever break, they build up in people; long-term exposure is linked to certain cancers, thyroid and immune problems, and high cholesterol. In April 2024 the U.S. EPA set the first national limits—4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for three other PFAS, plus a hazard-index cap for mixtures—with utilities required to begin monitoring by 2027 and meet the standards by 2031. Utilities can curb PFAS with granular activated carbon, membrane, or ion-exchange treatment, and households can add certified point-of-use filters (e.g., reverse osmosis) to cut exposure at the tap.

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Image of the PFAS Cycle, provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
PFAS6 Hickory Hills Well Keating Well Lancaster Well
Date Sampled 2021 - 2022 2023 - 2025 2024 - 2025
Highest Level Detected 37.8 ppt 9.35 ppt 23.7 ppt
Range of Detection 29.8 - 37.8 ppt 3.85 - 9.35 ppt 0 - 23.7 ppt
Future Maximum Contamination Level (EPA) 4 ppt 4 ppt 4 ppt
Ideal Goal 0 0 0

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* How concerned are you about PFAS in your drinking water?

OUR WATER SOURCES
The Lunenburg Water District gets all its drinking water from three groundwater sources. The original wells were located on Lancaster Avenue and have 4 active wells that were installed between 1961 and 1985. The Hickory Hills Well went online in 1995 but is currently inactive. The newest well is the Keating Well, it went online in 2010. All these water sources are treated to adjust the pH which protects household plumbing. The water is stored in two storage tanks that help meet every day and peak use. The District closely monitors activity near the wells, maintaining and upgrading treatment systems, and evaluating options to strengthen the Town’s long-term water supply. Below is a breakdown of each source, as well as the challenges and opportunities for future water treatment.
Keating Well Hickory Hills Well Lancaster Avenue Wells
Maximum Capacity (MGD) 1.44 MGD 0.72 MGD 1.0 MGD
Treatment Process Required by Law PFAS Removal PFAS, Iron and Manganese Removal PFAS, Iron and Manganese Removal
Opportunities and Challenges
  • Capable of meeting maximum demand.
  • Water hardness will be much worse if this is the only source treated.
  • Well water must be diluted with other sources.
  • Cannot meet maximum system demand.
  • Capable of sustained long-term pumping.
  • Not enough land area to build a treatment plant on location.
  • Cannot meet maximum system demand.
  • Very shallow wells and not able to pump water for long durations.
  • Enough land to construct treatment plant.
WATER TREATMENT OPTIONS
The Lunenburg Water District has distilled its strategy to three paths to improve water quality, protect community health and economic development opportunities. Because each alternative carries different costs, timelines, and reliability benefits, we are polling the entire community – underscoring that every Lunenburg household’s opinion will shape how the community safeguards its future drinking water. The MassDEP is no longer offering 0% interest or principal forgiveness in the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF).
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
Keating Well and Lancaster Avenue Hickory Hills and Lancaster Avenue All Sources - Keatings, Hickory Hills and Lancaster Avenue
Maximum Capacity (MGD) 2.44 MGD 1.72 MGD 3.16 MGD
Lunenburg Maximum Demand 1.4 MGD 1.4 MGD 1.4 MGD
Treatment Processes Required Any combination will require the removal of iron and manganese prior to the removal of PFAS.
Estimated Capital Cost for Individual Treatment Plant $42M $41M $47M +/-
Annual Operations and Maintenance Cost $240K $275K $275K
Total Cost (30 Year Loan at 4% Interest) $72.1M $70.5M $80.7M
Total Cost (30 Years at 2% Interest through State Revolving Fund) Not Applicable $54.6M $62.6M*
Challenges
  • Hard water issues continue.
  • Limited water during dry periods from Lancaster Wells.
  • Requires water main to be run from Hickory Hills to Lancaster Avenue.
  • This combination solves all hard water issues.
  • Limited water during dry periods from Lancaster Wells.
  • Requires water main to be run from Hickory Hills to Lancaster Avenue; and Keatings to Lancaster Avenue.
  • This combination solves a majority of hard water issues.
  • Capable of meeting current and future demands.
Funding Opportunities and Challenges Not able to meet the requirements of the DWSRF* low interest loan program. Hickory Hills meets the criteria for the DWSRF 0% interest loan program; however, it was voted down in 2024 by the residents. If DWSRF funding is secured for Hickory Hills and Lancaster Avenue, MassDEP may consider modifying the agreement to include this work.
*DWSRF (Drinking Water State Revolving Fund) Funding is a program that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection provides to public drinking water suppliers for low-interest loans for infrastructure projects.

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* Which of the scenarios described above should the District pursue to improve water quality and address PFAS?

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* Additional Comments

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