Boston Water and Sewer Commission
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The Boston Water and Sewer Commission serves retail customers in Boston, Massachusetts. It purchases water wholesale from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
It is the largest retail water and wastewater utility in New England, owns and operates the drinking water distribution, wastewater collection and stormwater drainage systems serving Boston. Maintaining 1,015 miles of water main and 1,435 miles of sewer pipe and storm drain, BWSC serves a population that ranges from 550,000 residents to more than 1 million daily commuters and visitors.
BWSC purchases the water it delivers from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), a wholesale supplier of water and wastewater services. BWSC’s water starts in the Quabbin Reservoir, travels by tunnel 65 miles to Boston and enters BWSC’s system at 27 metered sites, from where it is distributed throughout the city. When full, the Quabbin Reservoir holds 412 billion gallons, making it one of the largest man-made public water supplies in the country.
BWSC was created in 1977, but the water distribution system it operates opened in 1848 and the wastewater collection system in 1883. A response to the dangers posed to Boston by severely deteriorated water distribution and wastewater collection systems, BWSC was created by act of the Massachusetts legislature as a public instrumentality, a body politic and corporate, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, separate and apart from the City of Boston. The Enabling Act empowered the BWSC to independently set rates and charges for the water distribution and wastewater collection services it provides and entrusted BWSC to improve and maintain the integrity of its systems.
In the 30 years since its creation, BWSC has become an industry leader in the construction and metering fields. It has relay or relined over 300 miles of aging water main and in the process reduced the amount of water being lost through system leaks by 50 million gallons per day. It has also, in conjunction with the MWRA, eliminated 81 miles of combined sewer overflows to Boston Harbor, making it cleaner and safer for Boston’s residents and visitors to enjoy. In 2003, BWSC installed on every residential meter in the city of Boston an automated reading device that allows it to track daily consumption, for improved customer service and conservation.
External link
- BWSC homepage (requires Macromedia Flash player)