Chester Water Department (CWD) staff conduct time-consuming sampling protocols in-house each day to minimize costs.
Four times each year, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) requires CWD to use an approved testing laboratory to confirm compliance.
Our MassDEP third-quarter results, covering May 20 through August 20, mark the 24th consecutive month of compliance.
These results confirm that CWD is producing and distributing high-quality water. They also mark the completion of Phase One, “Rescue to Renewal.”
This milestone does not mark the end of our mission to improve water quality; however, it is fair to say that
we have reached the end of the beginning. Progress is not always linear, and significant challenges remain.
Our short-term priorities include:
JOB ONE: Maintain excellence while building a sustainable water future
• Maintain service excellence while continuing to build the sustainable water future our town urgently needs.
• Upgrade cybersecurity and physical security protections at the Water Treatment Plant.
• Complete the watershed harvest while continuing to expand resource protections.
• Complete reclamation of the Horn Pond access road.
• Replace 1,000 feet of the Horn Pond intake supply line.
• Advance the timeline for Prospect Street Phase 3 to address the liability posed by the original 115-year-old, 4-inch water main and replace the existing 6-inch water main.
• Expand operator succession-planning efforts with our partners, Gateway Regional School District and Mass Audubon.
• Continue participating as a founding member of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Regional Water Study.
• Address one or two liabilities identified in the Asset Management Plan each year.
• Work with town leaders and residents to fund a grant-writing position needed to support an updated hydrological study and secure construction funding for future groundwater wells.
• Continue growing the water stabilization account in preparation for future filter-bed replacement.