The Water Department provides public water service and fire protection in Manchester, and portions of Glastonbury and abutting towns. The system consists of 16,500 domestic service lines and 1,047 fire and irrigation services. On average, 5 million gallons of water are delivered daily.
The water supply consists of seven reservoir impoundments and ten individual groundwater wells for a total capacity of 9.8 million gallons per day. The distribution system consists of approximately 260 miles of water mains, ten water distribution storage tanks and 5 pumping stations.
Water from the reservoirs is treated at the Globe Hollow Water Treatment Plant. The treatment process includes; ozonation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration with chlorination, pH adjustment, fluoridation and corrosion control. The ten wells have onsite treatment which varies depending on the source, including; air stripping, chlorination, fluoridation and corrosion control.
The Sewer Department provides sanitary sewer collection and treatment to the Town of Manchester and portions of neighboring communities. Manchester's sewer collection system consists of approximately 200 miles of sewer pipes and serves approximately 15,350 customers. Wastewater is conveyed to the Hockanum River Water Pollution Control Facility which is designed to treat up to 8.25 million gallons per day. Treatment methods include: solids, nitrogen and phosphorus removal and ultra violet light for disinfection. Centrifuges separate the water from the remaining solids, and the resulting biosolids are disposed of at the landfill.
The Water and Sewer Department operates as a self-supporting enterprise fund and revenues collected from ratepayers fund expenditures, and Town taxes do not supplement the Water Department's budget.