Above Over 100 watershed group representatives, state and municipal staff, and residents discuss the future of water at a meeting of the Water Management Act Advisory committee.
The Salem Beverly Water Supply Board (SBWSB) oversees the municipal water needs for the cities of Salem and Beverly. They manage three reservoirs: Wenham Lake in Wenham and Beverly, Putnamville Reservoir in Danvers and Longham Reservoir in Beverly. Each of these reservoirs are filled from the basins of the Ipswich River and Miles River, the Ipswich’s largest tributary.
During a year that offers once-in-a-generation opportunities to address water inequity, we are excited to begin a new chapter with the Salem Beverly Water Supply Board. Join us in welcoming Alan Taubert and Brad Perron to the SBWSB. Alan will serve as the new Executive Director and Brad as the new Superintendent.
Alan comes from many years of service as the Executive Director for the South Essex Sewerage District, which treats wastewater from Salem, Beverly, Danvers and Peabody. In that role, Alan was responsible for a complete overhaul of the water treatment plant and the regional collection system. The effort remains one of the largest public works projects ever undertaken on the North Shore. We are excited to see Alan at work on the inflow side of the equation! A long-time North Shore water manager, Brad is also no stranger to the Ipswich River. For many years, Brad has managed water supply for the City of Peabody and knows the challenges facing the Ipswich River well.
Salem and Beverly are the largest users of Ipswich River water, and currently use an average of 8 million gallons per day. A supportive partnership will allow these dynamic cities to continue to grow and evolve while ensuring equitable water distribution and protecting accessible natural spaces, including their fabulous trail network along the Wenham Canal one of the hidden gems of the North Shore . Both Salem and Beverly are active members of the Greenscapes Coalition, and support efforts to educate the next generation about their water. Through Greenscapes programs and other aspects of our mission, we work with these communities every day to protect their water quality.
Our own Executive Director Wayne Castonguay met with Alan and Brad recently to discuss areas of mutual interest and ways we can work together. Says Wayne, “On behalf of our entire community, I wish a warm welcome to both Alan and Brad in their new roles. Water suppliers are some of the most unsung heroes in our society. Providing clean and safe drinking water, our most important resource, is no easy task. They are facing unprecedented challenges, from badly needed upgrades to their aging water infrastructure to addressing new sources of contaminants. We look forward to working with Alan and Brad and supporting them in providing safe, equitable water.”
Water suppliers, watershed groups, and residents across the state of Massachusetts had the chance to discuss the future of the state’s water on February 25th at a meeting of the Water Management Act Advisory Committee. It is clear that all water stakeholders must work together towards a more sustainable future. At the recent Hamilton Wenham Garden Club Virtual Conservation Expo, the chair of the Wenham Water Commission, Ernest Ashley, said it well of all the communities that rely on Ipswich River water, “we’re all in the same bucket.”