Household resilience does not require a failing public system. Dover, Massachusetts is a useful example: strong public services coexist with a water environment that places more responsibility on individual properties than many suburban homeowners may realize.

Start with the facts.

The Town of Dover reports that nearly 70% of residential dwellings rely on private wells and almost 30% are served by Aquarion. The town also describes its municipal water and wastewater infrastructure as limited. In June 2026, Dover declared a Level 2 Significant Drought and restricted nonessential outdoor water use for both private-well users and Aquarion customers.

Dover has also experienced temporary public-water disruptions. In September 2023, an issue during maintenance at the Frances Street wells caused loss of pressure in the Dover Main System and a boil-water order. The order was lifted after follow-up samples were bacteria-free.

Fire protection adds another property-level consideration. Town materials explain that Dover has hydrants, but the system does not have the infrastructure, capacity and volume needed to use them for fire suppression. Firefighting water is therefore carried and moved using apparatus and mutual-aid resources.

These are community design realities, not criticisms. The household question is simply: what do they mean for this property?

For a private-well household, electricity is also a water issue.

If the well pump depends on electrical power, a utility outage can become a water outage unless the well is supplied by backup power or the household has another plan. A generator may exist and still not supply the well. The only useful answer is the one verified at the property.

A boil-water order is an information problem as well as a water problem.

Who receives the alert? Does everyone understand what it applies to? Is there enough potable water available to bridge the interruption? Does a caregiver know what to do if the primary homeowner is away?

Rural fire protection makes access and property knowledge relevant.

For larger properties, useful continuity information may include driveway and gate access, building locations, fuel storage, ponds or cisterns, generators, utility controls and other features a homeowner may take for granted because they know the property intuitively.

Questions worth asking

  • Is the well actually powered by the generator?
  • How much potable water is available if the normal supply is temporarily unusable?
  • Who receives utility and town alerts?
  • Does another family member know the main water controls and leak-response procedure?
  • Are long driveways, gates, bridges or access constraints obvious to someone unfamiliar with the property?
  • Would a trusted person know which local vendors understand the systems?

Sources

About this briefing

Northeast Continuity provides private household continuity, preparedness and resilience services. This article is general information, not engineering, legal, medical or emergency-response advice. In an emergency, follow instructions from local authorities and appropriate professionals.