Press Release  MassDEP Provides Free Mapping Support to Water Utilities

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is providing free technical assistance for infrastructure mapping to 16 municipal and state-owned water utilities across the state. This assistance, offered through MassDEP’s Water Utility Resilience Program (WURP), will support 11 drinking water systems and 5 sewer systems. These maps will help communities plan effectively, respond to emergencies and manage their infrastructure.  

"This program has significantly improved the water sector’s understanding of where and how services are delivered in Massachusetts," said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. "By mapping potential vulnerabilities and infrastructure risks, we're empowering local communities to plan for the future, adapt to our changing climate needs, and maintain the safety and quality of our water systems."

Since its launch in 2017, WURP has helped 156 utilities and 143 municipalities by upgrading their technical capabilities and creating detailed geographic information system (GIS) datasets and infrastructure maps. As part of the service, the program also creates and maintains statewide service area maps that show the areas served by both public and private drinking water and sanitary sewer utilities. These maps help utilities plan for better resilience, manage their assets, and adapt to climate change.

Data collected through this program are also used to create generalized service area maps that are publicly accessible via MassGIS to illustrate which communities are served by public drinking water or sewer systems, without disclosing sensitive infrastructure details.

This year’s recipients of mapping technical assistance are:

• Ashfield Water District
• Town of Avon, Water Division
• Town of Billerica Water Works
• Town of Holbrook, DPW/Water
• Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility
• City of Malden, Engineering/Water
• Town of North Brookfield, Water Department
• Onset Water Department
• Town of Pepperell, Water Division
• Town of Rockport, Water Division
• Town of Scituate, Sewer Division
• South Hadley Division of Water Pollution Control
• Town of Southwick DPW, Water and Sewer Departments
• Town of Stoughton, GIS/Sewer
• Turners Falls Water Department

Additional information about the program is available online at Water Utility Resilience Program.

###