A Commitment to Clean, Reliable Drinking Water
The Littleton Water Department is committed to delivering clean, reliable water to our customers. We work to protect groundwater sources from pollution, and all water in the system is processed in treatment plants to ensure the finished product meets state and federal standards.
Water Quality Reports
Source Water Protection
Preventing groundwater pollution is the first line of defense in delivering clean drinking water. The LWD and the Town of Littleton integrate land-use planning, groundwater monitoring and environmental audits in a comprehensive aquifer and watershed protection program. Read more.
Flushing
STATUS: There is no current water system flushing activity.
We regularly flush the water distribution system to remove sediment that can build up in the water mains. Flushing improves water quality and water pressure. It can result in temporarily discolored water. While safe to drink, discolored water may be unpleasant in appearance and odor. Typically, the discoloration clears within a few minutes of running a cold-water tap.
Filtration and Treatment
We treat and filter the raw water pumped from groundwater wells to ensure the finished product meets state and federal drinking water standards. The treatment and filtration are targeted to meet the needs of each individual source of water. Iron and manganese, naturally occurring minerals that can stain plumbing fixtures and laundry, are filtered from the raw water at the Whitcomb Avenue Treatment Plant and the Beaver Brook Treatment Plant. In addition, the Whitcomb Avenue plant also removes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are found in the raw water sourced from the Spectacle Pond well.
Treatment Methods Used in Littleton's Drinking Water
Sodium Hypochlorite: Provides disinfection against germs and bacteria.
Potassium Hydroxide: Provides pH adjustment. Works as a corrosion inhibitor. Protects distribution system and customer’s home plumbing system from corrosion.
Sodium Hexametaphosphate: Works as a sequestering agent to suspend iron and manganese particles and as a corrosion inhibitor to stabilize metal surfaces of iron and copper pipelines.
Pressure Filtration: Utilizes sodium hypochlorite to pre-oxidize iron and manganese and then remove it through filtration and absorption.
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Filtration: GAC removes organic impurities from potable water sources. These impurities include compounds imparting taste and odors, algal toxins, synthetic organic compounds, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceutically active compounds, PFAS, and disinfection by-product precursors