City of Methuen Master Plan

Public Facilities and Services
although there is a small area in the North End along the Haverhill border that does not have hydrants
for fire fighting. It does have City water connected to homes in that area.
The system has 1630 hydrants that are inspected and flushed at least once a year and twice a year near
schools. The Department of Public Works is implementing an extensive program of hydrant/valve
replacement and repair. There are three water storage tanks. There are no low pressure areas in the
City. The newest tank in the East District cost about $4 million. This third tank increased water storage
capacity by 4 million gallons. There are three active and one emergency pumping stations. There is an
active maintenance program for replacement of water pipe. The City has spent $1.2 million on the
distribution system recently. There is also an active program of leak detection undertaken every other
year. Leaks are not a big problem.
The Water Treatment System is headed by a Superintendent also answering to the Director of Public
Works. The water source is the Merrimack River. Water is treated before being distributed. Currently
the treatment plant has a capacity of 10 million gallons per day although current demand varies from 5
to 9 million gallons per day. There is a two to three year plan and program to increase the pumping and
treatment capacity to 15 million gallons per day.
FUTURE
PLANS/NEEDS:
The water system will continue its current program of replacing, installing and
repairing water lines and hydrants as needed, and testing for leaks in the system.
THE METHUEN SEWER SYSTEM
Methuen is a member of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District which also includes Lawrence,
Andover, North Andover and Salem, New Hampshire. The wastewater treatment plant for the District
is located in North Andover, with discharges into the Merrimack River. The treatment capacity of the
plant is 52 million gallons of wastewater per day. Currently it is treating about 30 million gallons per
day. It also treats about 50,000 gallons of septage per day from its member communities and from other
communities. In Fiscal Year 2006 Methuen paid $2,638,097 30 to the District for wastewater treatment
and disposal. In that year the District charged 99 cents per thousand gallons to treat sewage. Methuen
has 105 miles of sewer lines to collect the wastewater and transport it to the treatment plant. Methuen
does not have a Superintendent of Sewer Systems or a Sewer Division. It relies on its engineering staff
to deal with small sewage issues, and the staff of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District to deal with
larger sewage issues.
The sewer system will continue to hook existing and new development into the
FUTURE
sewer network and to monitor inflow and infiltration of water into the pipes.
Major maintenance will be done by the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District.
Negotiations are underway with the Town of Dracut to extend a sewer line along North Lowell
Street in the West End of Methuen to allow Dracut to send sewage to the wastewater treatment
plant in North Andover. Both Methuen and Dracut are committed in principle to this arrangement.
Negotiations might take several more months and design and construction completed within one or
two years after that. The primary impact in Methuen would be to allow for the possibility of smaller
lot sizes and induce some more residential development in the Wheeler Street and North Lowell
PLANS/NEEDS:
30 from the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District web site
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