When water is spreading in Swampscott
Swampscott is a coastal town of 15,111 people (2020 Census) immediately southwest of Marblehead, so our Essex St dispatch base in Marblehead 01945 is a neighboring community away. Water arrives from the ocean, from runoff or from a pipe inside the house.
Tell the dispatcher which one you are dealing with. Saltwater and stormwater carry contamination that a burst supply line does not, which changes what gets discarded.
Dispatch never closes
Emergency dispatch is available around the clock for every 01907 address.
Standing water on a floor
Extraction comes first. Water left in carpet pad and baseboards starts moving into drywall quickly.
Salt or storm water
Water that came off the street or the beach is treated as contaminated and handled under flood protocols.
Humphrey Street and the seafront blocks
The town's hazard mitigation plan draft (2025) places Humphrey Street, Puritan Road, Forbes Square and the Fish House in a FEMA AO flood zone with documented coastal flooding. The Swampscott Fish House at 391 Humphrey St dates to 1896 and appears in the town's coastal study as an asset at risk. On this stretch, look up your parcel on FEMA's flood map and keep your flood policy details somewhere you can reach at 2 a.m.
Fisherman's Beach, with its pier and launch ramp, sits on the same road. After a nor'easter, cleanup usually means pumping out ground floors and garages, then drying framing that took on saltwater. Our flood damage restoration page explains that sequence.
Phillips Beach and the Phillips Park area
The 2025 plan draft names the Phillips Park area as the town's highest-priority coastal flood risk, with Phillips' Beach and Palmer Pond, Preston Beach and King's Beach also listed. A state-funded coastal study projects Phillips' Beach, Phillips Park and Preston Beach to be flood-prone by 2030. Keep records of any prior damage and repairs.
Shepherd and Ocean Streets are described as sites of residential and beach-club damage, and Atlantic Avenue floods at the Marblehead line. If you are coming to a job from Marblehead during a storm, that road is a known trouble spot.
If water is still spreading in Swampscott
Stop the source
Close the main shutoff, which in many houses sits on the cellar wall facing the street. In an older Swampscott house the valve can be stiff, so turn it slowly and fully.
Breakers only if the floor is dry
Only if the panel is dry and you can reach it on dry floor should you flip the breakers for wet rooms. Water near outlets or the panel means stay back and phone 911 or the utility.
Lift what you can
Move photo albums, electronics and small furniture to a counter or the second floor. On a seafront block, leave heavy pieces and think about your own footing.
Keep people and pets out
Water that came off Humphrey Street or the beach side can carry sewage and debris. Children and dogs should wait in a dry room.
Photograph everything
Take wide and close shots of the water line, damaged belongings and the source before anything is moved.
Phone dispatch from a dry spot
Give the street, say whether the water is clean or from outside, and mention anyone in danger.
Older houses and who lives in them
Of Swampscott's 5,579 housing units, about 68.5% are single-family, and 52.5% were built in 1939 or earlier (ACS 2009 to 2013 figures in the town's 2016 housing production plan). Older supply lines, cast-iron drains and plaster-and-lath walls dry differently from newer drywall, so a scope should be written room by room.
Census QuickFacts (2020 to 2024) shows 75.9% of Swampscott homes owner-occupied, so most losses land on owners who deal with the insurer themselves. A sudden pipe failure is often covered while flood usually is not, so ask your insurer. For repair planning see water damage repair.
| Situation | First move |
|---|---|
| Supply line split in a Humphrey Street apartment | Close the unit or building shutoff, then call dispatch. |
| Saltwater in a Phillips Park garage or cellar | Stay out of the water, document it, call dispatch for extraction. |
| Sewage backing up from a floor drain | Stop running water and call the Swampscott DPW and our line. |
| Water pooling at the Burrill Street underpass | Do not drive through it. It floods at high tides. |
Water in a Swampscott building right now?
Call the 24/7 dispatch line and describe where the water is coming from.
Water, sewer and the town departments
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) supplies 100% of Swampscott's water through a sixteen-inch main on New Ocean Street. The Swampscott Department of Public Works maintains 48 miles of water mains, 47 miles of sewer mains and seven sewer lift stations. If the loss is in the street or at the meter, the DPW is the call after your own shutoff.
The town also posts sanitary sewer overflow notices, including a 2022 backup on Roy Street in the Kings Beach area. Check whether a notice matches your date before assuming the fault is in your plumbing. The Swampscott Building Department enforces the Massachusetts State Building Code, so ask whether structural repairs need a permit.
Storms that have shaped the town
The plan draft calls the Blizzard of 1978 the town's most significant coastal flooding event, and the October 1991 Perfect Storm damaged retaining walls. March 2010 rainstorms brought 17.7 inches and 82 disaster claims. Heavier rain may also mean more basement flooding through high groundwater, so ask a plumber about a battery-backed sump pump and read our water mitigation page on drying.
Swampscott coverage notes
Beyond Swampscott we also dispatch to Lynn, which lies beyond Swampscott from Marblehead, and to Salem. Local detail here comes from town and state documents.
Sources: Swampscott hazard mitigation plan draft (MAPC, 2025), Swampscott Department of Public Works and Building Department pages, MWRA community water report, Census QuickFacts, ACS-based town housing production plan, Massachusetts coastal climate change study.
Questions From Swampscott Property Owners
Do you cover every ZIP code in Swampscott?
Swampscott has one ZIP code, 01907, and we cover it entirely. That includes Humphrey Street and Fisherman's Beach, the Phillips Beach and Phillips Park area, Preston Beach on Atlantic Avenue, King's Beach near the Lynn line and the inland streets around Monument Avenue.
Is emergency water removal available in Swampscott?
Yes, any hour. A crew can be sent the same day when one is available, and gas smells or electrical danger, call 911 or the utility before us.
Does flood damage from a nor'easter count as water damage on my policy?
Frequently it does not. Surge from the ocean is flood, and flood is usually a separate policy from the one on your house. Pull out your declarations page and ask your insurer what your policy says before you file anything.
Who do I call if the water is coming from the street main?
Call the Swampscott Department of Public Works for the town's water and sewer lines. Then call us for the damage inside.
Can saltwater from the beach side be dried in place?
Saltwater is treated as contaminated, so carpet and pad are usually removed. Crews working to ANSI/IICRC S500 decide what can be dried and what must go. Ask any company you hire whether it follows that standard.