to view the Affordable Housing Plan - Town of North Andover

III F - MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE
North Andover’s infrastructure is poised to accommodate a moderate population growth over the
next ten years. Much like the other suburban communities in the region, water and sewer,
roadways, the school system and public safety are most often affected by the continued increase
in a town’s population.
Water & Sewer
Approximately 70% of North Andover residents are connected to the town’s sewer system while the
remaining 30% use private septic systems. Currently, the Department of Public Works is finishing
up a long-range plan (there are two more sections left) to connect all residents living near Lake
Cochichewick to the town sewer system in order to better protect the watershed around the natural
resource area. As of 2005, North Andover had 84.0 miles of sewer lines with about 5,299 houses
connected to the system.
North Andover has won state awards for its water quality. Lake Cochichewick is the only public
water supply servicing North Andover’s residents. During most of the year the supply is adequate
for the current population. Recently, in drought conditions during the summer, water use has
exceeded the maximum allowable daily use and water restrictions have been imposed for
conservation purposes. If the lake is too low North Andover now has infrastructure and an
agreement with Andover to connect to Andover’s water supply that comes from the Merrimack
River via Haggett’s Pond water treatment plant.
A majority of the town is connected to the water system with only about 10% utilizing private wells.
Currently the water distribution system consists of 143.12 miles of main pipe and 1,417 public
hydrants. Typically, North Andover is able to meet water usage demands, except during times of
drought at which time the Department of Public Works coordinates with the Board of Selectmen to
impose bans on irrigation. These bans most often occur during the summer months when the usage
increase to 5 million gallons of water per day compared to only 3 million gallons used per day in the
winter.
Overall, North Andover is well equipped at the present time to accommodate a reasonable amount
of new residential growth in terms of the local water supply. The sewer system however presents
more of a challenge because the entire town is not connected and it is fairly costly to extend the
sewer lines for new development. Bigger projects where a developer may have a larger financial gain
would be better able to manage the cost of sewer line extension, however for the most part, this is a
development constraint in certain parts of North Andover.
Roadways
North Andover is located within a decent proximity to three major highways, I-495 (constructed in
1967), I-95 and I-93 (constructed in 1960), however the lack of a decently located I-495 interchange
is seen as a challenge in the community. Residents are fortunate in that they are able to access these
highways fairly easily which opens up commuting opportunities for employment that do not exist in
North Andover Affordable Housing Plan
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