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News & Updates
Update: July 18, 2025 - Full Outdoor Nonessential Water Use Ban
Please follow this link to the Active Water Ban & Conservation Regulations page for details.
For immediate release: June 16, 2025
Advisory: Billerica, Burlington
Overnight Paving on Route 3A
Work begins Sunday, June 22, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following morning
BILLERICA/BURLINGTON – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that overnight paving work will begin on Route 3A (Boston Road/Cambridge Street) from Burlington High School to Cook Street in Billerica. The work is scheduled to occur nightly from Sunday evening through Friday morning, between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., for approximately two weeks.
Lane closures and traffic restrictions will be in place during the scheduled hours to allow crews to safely complete the paving operations. Work will begin at the southern end of the project area and proceed north. One lane of travel in each direction will be maintained at all times, and access to residences and businesses will be preserved.
This work is part of a $5 million roadway resurfacing project on Route 3A in Billerica and Burlington.
Appropriate signage, law enforcement details, and advanced message boards will be in place to guide drivers through the work area.
Drivers traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution.
All scheduled work is weather dependent and subject to change without notice.
For more information on traffic conditions, travelers are encouraged to:
- Download the Mass511 mobile app or visit www.mass511.com to view live cameras, travel times, real time traffic conditions, and project information before setting out on the road. Users can subscribe to receive text and email alerts for traffic conditions.
- Dial 511 and select a route to hear real time conditions.
- Follow @MassDOT on X (formerly known as Twitter) to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions.
New solar array at Mill Pond Water Treatment Plant is active!
The Town of Burlington received the Gap Energy Grant from MassDEP to install weatherization and a solar PV array (pictured below) at the Mill Pond Water Treatment Facility in January 2023. On November 25, 2024, the Town received the Approval to Operate from Eversource.
Project Cost Breakdown:
- Total Cost: $199,189
- GAP Grant Award: $176,090
- Energy Incentive: $3,534
- Total Cost to Town: $19,565
Projected Annual Savings:
- Annual Cost Savings: $18,436
- Electricity Savings: 87,220 kWh
- Annual Energy Produced: 87,200 kWh (or 297.5 MMBtu)
New Residential Water Billing Schedule
On February 26, 2024, the Select Board approved to change the billing frequency for residential water and sewer accounts from semi-annually to quarterly in order to comply with the Water Resources Commission. This change was a requirement in order to receive water from the MWRA.
For more information, please read this memo from the DPW Director, or click here to view our Water/Sewer Billing page.
Update for Summer 2024
Though we will have a second source of water, Burlington still must enforce water conservation regulations in order to be in compliance with the Water Resources Commission.
Based on Burlington’s current water supply conditions, we in the DPW propose the Town of Burlington terminates the full mandatory outdoor watering restriction approved on 6/27/2022 and returns to the year-round outdoor watering restriction ( 1st Step mandatory outdoor watering restriction ) effective April 1, 2024 as outlined below:
1st Step: Automated or sprinkler watering allowed every other day based on the address of the residential or commercial property (even numbered on even days, odd numbered on odd days). Residents and commercial properties can choose to water either between midnight and 9 a.m. or between 5 p.m. and midnight on their odd/even day. No double watering allowed on any given day.
These water conservation measures would apply to all residential and commercial properties. Under these restrictions no watering will be allowed between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Outdoor watering restrictions consist of:
- Irrigation of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems
The following uses are permitted on any day at any time:
- Watering of gardens, flowers, and ornamental plantings by means of a hand-held hose only.
- To meet core functions of a business or commercial activity
- Applying necessary surface treatments (aka washing exterior surfaces) such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement, or cement.
- Car washing and filling of pools during 1st and 2nd steps only
Penalties:
According to the Town Bylaws Section 5.4 the Town, through its Select Board, may declare a State of Water Conservation. Section 5.9 states the Penalties for violating the Water Restriction are:
- Any person violating shall be issued a warning for the first violation, shall be liable to the Town in the amount of $50 for the second violation, and $100 for each subsequent violation thereafter. These fines are non-criminal disposition.
New Lawn Exemptions:
In accordance with past years, the DPW will allow automated or sprinkler water exemptions in the months of April, May, September, and October. These exemptions are given by written permission of the DPW via an online form on the Town’s website, located here. Within this exemption, residents and commercial properties can water their lawns every day, but need to adhere to the rule of “no watering will be allowed between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
Water Access to the Mill Pond Reservoir is Prohibited
- Walking on the ice in the winter or swimming in the reservoir in the summer is not only prohibited, but dangerous.
- As part of the water pretreatment process, the Town has an aeration system which changes the density of the water and may make it impossible to float.
- We ask all residents and visitors to stay on the walking trails and not interfere with the water treatment process.