Water Pressure

We recently created a brochure that answers common questions about water pressure: how can to calculate the pressure at your home, how does the water system work hydraulically, what can impact pressure inside your home, questions that you should ask your plumber, and more!

Click here for the PRESSURE document.

As always, feel free to call our office at 846-5821 if you have any questions.

Information about Lead in Drinking Water

As you may know, lead in drinking water has been in the news recently. The Yarmouth School District proactively performed lead and copper testing at some of their schools, and a few of the sample sites were higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Action Level (AL) of 15 parts per billion (ppb). We understand results that exceed the EPA limits can be alarming, but most of the sample results were below the 15 ppb standard. Also, the School Superintendent has an aggressive action plan to mitigate the lead at the fixtures with the higher levels and perform re-sampling. We discussed this plan with the School Superintendent, and feel it is the right approach for the situation, and we have offered technical support moving forward.

The Yarmouth Water District (YWD) is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, and we can assure you that our source water supply, and water in the distribution system, contains no lead. Lead in drinking water is most commonly caused by household plumbing such as lead solder (used to join internal plumbing pipes and fixtures) and fixtures, such as faucets, that may contain lead. When water is in contact with lead components for a long period of time, typically greater than 6 hours, lead can dissolve into the water.

The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) is legislation established by the EPA that started in 1991 and has since undergone many revisions. The LCR requires public water systems to monitor for lead and copper in drinking water and to provide corrosion control measures if levels are unacceptable. The YWD has been in compliance with the EPA AL of 15 ppb at the 90th percentile since the initiation of the LCR. Being in compliance with the 90th percentile means that 90% of the samples must be at or below the 15 ppb AL. Samples site requirements are specified by the EPA, and must be from single family homes built between 1982-1987 who have copper plumbing and potentially used lead solder. The YWD’s most recent results, and other required testing, can be found on our website at http://yarmouthwaterdistrict.org/about/water-quality/ just click on the most recent report date.

We hope this was informative, please see the links below for more information on lead in drinking water:

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/dwp/pws/leadCopper.shtml

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/prevention/sources/water.htm

https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule

https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water

https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water

As always, you can call our office at 846-5821 with any questions.

How much snow is out there?

Snowfall greatly impacts the physical and financial burdens of snow maintenance and removal. The Yarmouth Water District (YWD) is no exception as the tasks of clearing and open access to, headquarters, wells, tanks, and other parts of the system which placed a strain on crews and equipment use.

Snowfall also affects the recharge of the source waters for all public water utilities. A thick snowpack with high water content together with a gradual melting as an ideal condition for substantial ground infiltration and recharge of underground water aquifers and the capture of above ground runoff to surface water reservoirs. A sudden melting under similar conditions can result in minimal ground infiltration and cause floods, landslides and erosion with attendant sedimentation and pollution.

The legislatively established River Flow Advisory Commission (RFAC) in the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is responsible for a Maine Cooperative Snow Survey. This is a collaborative effort involving state and federal agencies, neighboring state and provincial governments and private industries.

In late Winter and early Spring The Maine Cooperative Snow Survey field crews visit specific sites in the field as many as a dozen times to collect, interpret, and distribute information and maps on the depth and water content of Maine’s snowpack. The 1-acre sites have been carefully selected according to their slope, tree cover, and exposure to wind and sun direction so that they are free of local effects such as drifting and excessive melting. Measurements are collected at each site by pushing a calibrated hollow tube down through the snow to the ground. The snow depth can be read on the outside of the tube. The tube, with snow still inside, is pulled up and weighed with an attached instrument resembling a fish scale. Its weight indicates the water content, which is much greater for compact, icy, refrozen than for new, light, fluffy snow. About ten such measurements are taken at each 1-acre site and recorded. Results are compiled at the Maine Geological Survey and analyzed for a GIS computer mapping system. Data and maps are available on the web sites of the Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Maine Geological Survey.

A day in the life of a meter reader

Do you actually read all of the meters?
Yes we read all meters on a quarterly basis.

How long does it take to read all the meters?
The District is divided up into 7 “books”, typically each book has about 500 accounts. I read two “books” most month’s billing, reading 3 for that one odd month out. Depending on the weather and emergency interruptions, I spend about 4 to 5 days per month reading meters.

What are the problems you encounter reading meters?
First the environmental problems; as you can imagine, poor weather, snow bankings and—at a few accounts—dogs. These present the usual problems. As far as technical problems affecting reading, the new meters are read with a handheld interrogator which electronically accesses the data from the meter. As long as the wire between the outside touchpad and meter are intact the reading is recorded quickly and easily.

Are the meters tested for accuracy?
Yes, all new and rebuilt meters are tested to verify that they meet the standards for new meters set by the MPUC.

What are some of the other duties you do at the District?
As a licensed water operator for the District, I can be expected to assist and work with others in both the normal and emergency operation of the District.  The list of duties for a water operator is quite diverse and far-reaching. I may be checking the wells we use as the source of supply, repairing a broken water main, testing backflow preventers or meeting with customers to answer their questions. There really is never a dull moment at a water district!