Major Water Break Affects Lodge at Ames Pond, Catamount Road

Residents advised to boil water until further notice

A boil water order has been issued for the Ames Pond apartments and all residents on Catamount Road as the Tewksbury and Billerica DPWs work together to restore water to an estimated 50 homes and 400 apartments. Ames Pond management has brought in a tanker truck, while the town installed a booster pump to attempt to restore water pressure to Catamount Rd.

“Crews are going door to door to ensure folks can at least flush,” said Tewksbury Select Board member Jayne Wellman. “A nearby large pipe failed not too long ago, and the thought is that this failure is related to that one. Once a pipe fails, connected pipes become vulnerable.”

A series of issues are complicating the water main break, which was first reported on Friday. Because of a culvert, a broken water line on Ames Hill Drive will require DEP approval before work can commence. That process could take up to 30 days, given that the line is approximately 15 feet underground. Meanwhile, the town is working on a bypass to get the water flowing again to Catamount Rd. residents. The holiday weekend has also hampered efforts to reach state agencies.

For now, affected residents should bring all water to a rolling boil and let it boil for at least one minute or use bottled water. Discard all ice, beverages, uncooked foods and formula made with tap water collected on or after 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 2. The Tewksbury Water & Sewer Division is working to restore full water pressure and collecting bacteria samples and will alert residents when they no longer need to boil water.

Lorna Garey

Lorna is a U.S. Army veteran and 25-year resident of Tewksbury who has written for organizations ranging from the DIA to InformationWeek to a free weekly in New London that sent her to interview the pastry chef at Foxwoods.