Site work for a water / sewer project in Billerica, Massachusetts. Conceptual plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

The Town has approximately 50 miles of aging water linesthat require replacement or cleaning and relining. Most of these pipes date back to the pre-1950s and suffer from tuberculation buildup. Some funding has been allocated for thisinitiative through Town Meeting and ARPA. A comprehensive sixteen-year plan has been developed to address the issue, with an estimated cost ranging from $80 million to $100 million for the first ten years. However, due to the significant expense, the timeline may need to extend to 20-30 years to avoid placing an excessive burden on water rates. At the Fall 2025 Town Meeting, the Town approved $3,000,000 for 2 water line replacement. Completing this project would eliminate the Town's brown water problem, but it requires a substantial financial investment. Funding options include a combination of taxes and water rates or relying on one source exclusively. Additionally, potential funding from the ongoing PFAS lawsuit could help offset the costs and accelerate progress The project is included in the City's 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). As of June 03 , 2026 , further details have not yet been identified. *The value for this project is based on a financial range. The value is listed as the highest possible cost from the range provided by a stakeholder or official project document. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.