Concord adds a small amount of liquid chlorine to its groundwater supplies. This prevents bacterial re-growth once water is put into the distribution system. Showers and warm weather can bring out the odor more easily.

Tiny air bubbles much like the ones found in carbonated beverages cause this appearance. These bubbles do not make the water unsafe to drink. In fact, they will rise to the top within a few minutes and your glass of water will be clear again. This tends to happen more in cold weather months or after service has been performed on the water system.

Fluoride can be found in nearly all naturally occurring water sources at varying levels, and has been added to public drinking water supplies throughout the United States since 1945 to promote dental health. After a 1969 Town meeting vote, Concord Health Department was authorized to order the upward adjustment of fluoride in Concord’s drinking water. Since that time, the Water and Sewer department has been adding fluoride to the Town’s drinking water supply in accordance with state and federal recommendations. For treated drinking water, the U.S. Public Health Service and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend between 0.7 and 1.2 parts fluoride per million parts of water. Concord water strives to achieve and maintain a fluoride concentration of 1.0 parts per million (ppm) in its municipal drinking water supply. For more information on the content of Concord water, please

Concord’s water system consists of 6 groundwater supply wells located in Concord and one surface water supply located on the Acton and Littleton town line. In addition, it has associated pumping stations, 2 storage reservoirs with a 7.5 million gallon total capacity, and approximately 130 miles of water main. A number of factors impact which sources are being run at any given time, such as time of year, system demand, pump station maintenance/upgrades, and source quality. Water from each individual source is treated to the same overall standards, so regardless of which well(s) may be running at any given time, the water is clean and safe for consumption. View a map on the

When water is either pumped from a well or withdrawn from Concord’s surface water supply, the water contains small amounts of impurities like salts, metals, pesticides, herbicides, viruses, and bacteria. Prior to being delivered to homes and businesses in the community, Concord treats all of its drinking water to ensure that the water that is being delivered is clean, good tasting, and safe for consumption. For more information on Concord’s water quality,