The Ipswich River basin is located in Middlesex and Essex Counties and contains all or part of 22 cities and towns, including the cities of Peabody and Beverly (fig. 14). The river basin is a major source of water for 15 cities and towns in or near the basin.

Public supplies for two cities, Lynn and Peabody, and one town, Lynnfield, in the southern part of the basin are obtained from the MWRA's water-supply system. The following description of the water resources of the Ipswich River basin is based on Hydrologic Investigations Atlas 196 (Sammel and others, 1964).