Systems Sections

Mission

As a utility service provider our mission is to operate, maintain, plan, and develop the Town's water and wastewater systems and ensure all work is performed in accordance with state and federal permit requirements and regulations. We will responsibly treat, store, and distribute water to meet the social, heath, economic and environmental needs of the community in a cost efficient manner. Similarly we will ensure that the wastewater system and force mains which collects and transports the Town's wastewater to the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District (GLSD) is sound and operating effectively.

Description

The Canobie Lake Water Treatment Plant (WTP) provides over 7,700 homes and businesses with water and produced over 777 million gallons of water in 2017 with an average production of 2.1 million gallons per day (MGD). The facility has the capacity to provide up to 6.0 MGD and was designed and built to comply with Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act and Surface Water Treatment Rule. In 2017 all State and Federal Drinking Water standards were met or exceeded. Along with the WTP, the Utilities Division also operates and maintains two water booster stations and the Arlington Pond Pump Station. In June 2020, the Town began receiving an additional source of water from the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water Project which comes from Lake Massabesic. As part of that project Salem has taken on an area of Windham (See Windham Water Service Tab for more information) to serve potable water and also maintains two Pressure Reducing Valve Stations: Rail Trail and Northland Road in Windham. Three dam locations are also monitored in order to maintain established levels in their respective water bodies. Water supply is critical to the health and wellbeing of our community and production of safe drinking water remains our number one concern.

As for the waste water systems, responsibilities include the maintenance and repair of the collections system which is approximately 60 miles of piping, hundreds of manholes, and 10 pumping stations located throughout the community. The Sewer system delivers 5 million gallons of flow on an average daily basis with peak hourly counts reaching 14.5 million gallons to the GLSD. The collection system is maintained in the most practical manner to ensure service and reliability and is monitored to identify illicit flows. There is a significant cost and reserved capacity for flow to the GLSD so it is important that any and all deficiencies including inflow and infiltration (I/I) are determined so a budget number for repair can be incorporated into capital planning. The Board of Selectmen adopted the Sewer Master Plan Update by Underwood Engineers in June 2017.