Westerly Water


Drinking Water
Westerly has the sixth-largest drinking water system in the state, serving 23,000 Rhode Island residents and another 5,000 in Stonington and Pawcatuck.


The Westerly Water Department's water comes from ten gravel wells located in six well fields, which draw water from aquifers or groundwater reservoirs located in the Pawcatuck River Aquifer Region.

The bulk of the water comes from the three White Rock well fields located along the Pawcatuck River and draw from the Westerly Aquifer, which gets its water from precipitation and the river. The three White Rock well fields have seven wells and 4.5 million gallons per day.

The Crandall Well is located off Pound Road, south of Chapman Pond and draws from another isolated groundwater reservoir fed by precipitation. The Crandall Well can produce .91 million gallons per day. The total system production capability is 6.93 million gallons per day.

The two Bradford well are located west of the Westerly Bradford Road, north of McGowans Corner, in the Bradford Aquifer. The two Bradford wells draw water from separate, isolated groundwater reservoirs fed by precipitation and can produce 1.52 million gallons per day.

 


(click on map to enlarge)
Source: RIGIS

This map shows the location of the aquifers, the surrounding groundwater recharge area (GWRA), as well as the community and non-community wellheads and their protection areas.


The quality of the Pawcatuck basin's water is generally good to excellent, however, because of the water ban in 1998, the Town of Westerly had been testing their water routinely and the water test on December 7 revealed traces of E. coli bacteria in the Bradford II well.

As a short term solution, the state issued an advisory informing residents that they needed to vigorously boil their tap water before using it. The order was rescinded on December 22.

For the long-term solution, the state mandated that the Town of Westerly implement some type of permanent disinfection system.

The Town Council approved a six-month chlorine program that started in March for the Westerly water supply. Surveys on taste and chlorination, as well as technical data, are being compiled throughout the six-month pilot.

 


(click on map to enlarge)
Source: RIGIS

To learn more about groundwater and wellhead protection in Rhode Island, visit DEM's Office of Water Resources. EPA also has a Safe Drinking Water hotline:
1-800-426-4791

Visit our threats to water quality
page to find out more, and view the results of surveys done on Westerly's wellheads.

 

 
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   last updated may 7, 2001