Lynch Well Site Development

The Ipswich Water Department is in the process of evaluating its existing municipal water supply and planning for the future. Since 2015, and as part of the planning process, the Water Department has investigated a total of six sites for potential new sources of groundwater supply to either supplement or replace existing sources. The most promising of these locations, in terms of both water quality and capacity, is the former Lynch property on Linebrook Road ("Lynch Site").

The Lynch Site rests on Town-owned land approximately 400 feet north of Linebrook Road, and is currently leased for agricultural use. The potential new groundwater well development on the Lynch Site is intended primarily to increase the Water Department's overall water-supply capacity and provide drought resiliency for the Town. The Town's existing groundwater supplies have lost capacity due to age and/or water quality, or are limited by permit; the reservoirs are sensitive to drought. The new source is also intended to provide the Town with operational flexibility and redundancy. Under this project, the Town will not request an increase in its authorized withdrawal under the Water Management Act.

The Town applied to MassDEP for New Source Approval for the Lynch Well and for a Parker River Watershed Withdrawal Permit Amendment in 2019.  MassDEP has taken no formal action on the Town's requests.