Special Feature Supplement on Water Resources to Maynard Advantage Newsletter
#3 Exploring our Strategy for Sustainable Water and Sewer Resources … Growing revenue from new development and the water capacity challenge
For town information, community building and pragmatic solutions
We intend to publish on this topic as a quarterly supplement to the Maynard Advantage Newsletter in order to dive a bit deeper into the town’s challenges and opportunities. Our first supplementary article on the topic appeared as part of the February 15 issue of the Newsletter and was inspired by a number of events, including the excellent news article https://www.townwidemall.com/news/the-hidden-story-of-water by Vicki Brown Stevens which published on townwidemall.com last September (link below). The second was published as a separate Special Feature in May and available on our Home Page Archive.
This quarter we’re covering: Recent State activity related to Water infrastructure and its impact on efforts to increase housing availability in Maynard and MetroWest
- Recent state studies for using Massachusetts Water Resources Agency (MWRA) surplus water to service three Boston suburban areas, including MetroWest, and regions to our north and south
- Recent developer interest in large residential projects that could boost new growth and relieve increased property tax burdens on residents in Maynard … And related constraints on Maynard’s town well water capacity.
- Advocacy needed to spotlight housing inventory opportunities (see MBTA Communities Act ) that are tied to needed state water resource investment such as MWRA connections
- Addendum: Current status of a proactive plan to increase water capacity AND water quality. This will be required to enable continued town development (and increase of the tax base for revenue generation to help spread the property tax burden)
See data on increased FY 2025 Water and Sewer rate Q&A in the addendum below and previous quarterly issue in May at https://maynardadvantage.com/may-2024-vol-10/
MWRA surplus water and Massachusetts advocacy for increased housing stock – Maynard is actively working to link these issues
Recent studies have been completed for using MWRA surplus water to potentially service three Boston suburban areas, including MetroWest, and regions to our north and south. The Commonwealth Beacon article in March outlined the efforts underway but the State House Bill in July did not provide funding for one of these areas to connect to MWRA water. This is taken as a signal in order to further understand the needs for all three areas, which is seen as a positive step by Maynard town leaders. This pause can give MetroWest and Maynard more time to make the case for water infrastructure support that would enable more housing developments we need to increase tax revenue in town. The link to the Commonwealth Beacon article and an excerpt follow:
House eyes MWRA expansion
“Two of the reports specifically allude to the fact that water infrastructure is a crucial prerequisite for population growth and the kind of revved up housing production that most state leaders want to encourage.
The South Shore report says that many of the towns studied “continue to experience challenges in meeting the water demands and growth expectations of their communities” and the Metro West report concluded that towns in that region “may experience challenges in meeting water demands and growth expectations of their communities.”
The Metro West study calculated a maximum water demand of 57.1 million gallons per day and an average of 30.8 million gallons per day for the towns studied. It concluded that “the MWRA’s water system has sufficient capacity to supply the current maximum day demand of the MetroWest communities in the study area under normal operating conditions.”
Major consequences related to our need for more water capacity and contamination reduction
Simply put, without more high quality water capacity, development is severely limited. DPW Director Justin DeMarco has had meetings in recent months with officials in neighboring towns and at the state level to show the connection and interdependence of these two issues for future sustainability of these suburban areas outside of Boston. At one such meeting Maynard’s DPW was invited to discuss our challenges to meet new Federal water quality contamination limits as a case study for the state group “Unlocking Housing Production Subcommittee on Regulations, Permits, and Codes”. He felt it was eye-opening for state officials to better understand this interdependence and prioritize actions at the state level accordingly.
Recently, developers have approached Maynard to add large residential housing projects. For context, it is important to note that single and multi-family residences, maybe surprisingly, have a higher water demand than many businesses. Residences average 110 gallons a day vs. an average of 10 gallons a day for businesses. Since the state regulates our pumping capacity from town wells to insure a sustainable supply, we must stay within certain daily pumping limits. The two new development proposals each would exceed the limits currently in place. The same is true for the Kanso 40B housing development being proposed by Avalon Development at 182 Parker St in southeast Maynard on the Sudbury border. https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/536/3854/Maynard-Kanso-40B-2024 This leaves us struggling to find ‘new growth’ property tax revenue that can help us keep pace with growing town expenses. Public Comments are requested on this development proposal in the link above no later than October 4, 2024.
How does the MBTA Communities Act factor into all this?
The state, and most other states, are suffering from a severe shortage of available (and affordable) housing units and walkable access to public transportation options. To address part of this, Massachusetts has embraced the MBTA Communities Act requiring mixed use/family affordable housing near mass transit locations. It requires cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts to rezone parts of their communities to allow more multi-family housing near public transportation. The law applies to 177 cities and towns that have or border communities with MBTA rapid transit or commuter rail service.
This new law requires that an MBTA community shall have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right and meets other criteria set forth in the statute. Failure to comply brings funding penalties. Maynard has already identified and passed zoning on a parcel that complies with this new law following the statute requirements :
- Minimum gross density of 15 units per acre
- Located not more than 0.5 miles from a commuter rail station, subway station, ferry terminal or bus station, if applicable
- No age restrictions and suitable for families with children
Maynard voted to amend zoning bylaws in warrant article 28 at our 2024 Annual town meeting on May 20, 2024 which also addressed Powder Mill corridor planning: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/documentcenter/view/2921
Addendum: Re-printed background from previous quarterlies
Current Maynard Water Infrastructure status…A well-planned and phased approach
The town is proactively planning to increase water capacity and improve quality from our town operated well system for new (beyond Maynard Crossing) development opportunities for housing, businesses or industry. Led by Director of Public Works Justin DeMarco and the staff of the Water and Sewer Division, Maynard is ahead of some surrounding communities in planning for these future issues. There are 4 phases in the plan that we will discuss quarterly, and the first Phase (New Well 4A and treatment plant upgrades) is nearing completion on schedule. In this issue we will focus on our increased capacity needs and added filtration requirements as a consequence of recent federal regulatory rules tightening limits on PFAS or “forever chemicals” that contaminate many water systems across the country. We will also outline the proposed increase in water and sewer rates needed to fund this methodical, phased approach and the impact on our rates starting on July 1, 2024.
Current capacity overview:
The town of Maynard’s Water and Sewer Division operates and maintains three water treatment plants located in Maynard (see Figure 1 above), with a permitted allowable withdrawal amount of 1.13 MGD (Million Gallons per Day) utilizing all three treatment plants. Maynard’s mechanical ability for water withdrawal is only 1.0 MGD utilizing all three treatment plants running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The factors governing projections for future demand have been carefully reviewed and indicate that capacity must be increased substantially to maintain financially healthy town revenue growth from new development, both residential and commercial.
Memo regarding rate change FY25 (July 1, 2024)
Phase 1 for well supply # 4A – Complete
Phase 1: Increase capacity at Well 4 water treatment plant (WTP), behind Fowler School and Maynard Crossing, by adding a new well supply (Well 4A) and adding backwash waste recycling at the WTP. (More on this and other best practices to boost well outputs in future quarterlies)
This phase is complete as of June 2024 an adds some buffer for daily water demand capacity by 0.35 MGD to support the Maynard Crossing/ Market Basket Plaza as well as modest residential development
More on recent Federal decision to reduce allowed limits for PFAS in public drinking water
PFAs have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, immune system suppression, increased cholesterol levels, pregnancy-induced hypertension, liver damage, reduced fertility, and increased risk of thyroid disease.
Federal regulations were approved in April 2024 to lower the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs in parts per trillion or ppt) of six of these chemicals (see table and link below. Note MCLG levels indicate probable future goals). Massachusetts is considering its position on these limits and will determine if even stricter limits are required here. Maynard has been working hard to test and prepare plans for this change and is in compliance with the previous limits at all currently used water sources. Note: White Pond is more than double the previous limits of 20 ppt, and was at 44.5 ppt in recent tests versus a range of 5 ppt to 19 ppt in the three well water sources. Water and Sewer Division staff are now assessing, testing and considering design updates in its 4-phase plan for the three operational well-water sources. This includes potential upgrades to meet both needed future capacity and the new filtration requirements:
https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
Public water systems have five years (by 2029) to implement solutions that reduce these PFAS if monitoring shows that drinking water levels exceed these MCLs.
The Water and Sewer Division of the Maynard DPW has provided a Water and Sewer rate Q&A here:
Example: HOW DID THE TOWN DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF THE PROPOSED WATER AND SEWER RATE ADJUSTMENTS?
In 2017, the Town hired Pioneer Consulting, an experienced, independent accounting consultant in the water and sewer utility industry, to conduct a cost of service study that examined current and future revenues, as well as evaluated operation and maintenance expenses, and determined an adequate funding level for Maynard’s utilities. Pioneer began a comprehensive cost of service study to determine whether existing rates were enough to meet the system rehabilitation and replacement needs as well as the Town’s operational costs for the water and sewer systems. Our rate structure was also assessed for compliance with industry best practices. During 2022, our financial consultant Pioneer’s principle owner passed away. We have since procured Stantec Financial Services to continue to assist the utility with our financial policies, strategy, and planning. The transition has been smooth and seamless, with no impact to our overall long-term plans.
Proper long term financial planning in conjunction with precise capital improvement planning strategically addressing our aging and degrading conditions within our water & sewer utility infrastructure has allowed our financial model to handle and reduce the impact of the economic volatility causing pressure to all budgets reducing the potential drastic impact to our use rates.
Based on these consistent and dynamic factors, the need to continue to review and adjust rates on a regular basis is necessary. Services such as water & sewer utilities should be financially stable, allowing the department to produce a consistent and reliable utility. Our current utility lacks the water production capability to support all economic growth opportunities throughout the community.
Note that our state legislators are continuing to work closely with us and have created earmark grants to support both Phase 2 (see below) and lead an copper contamination reduction efforts resulting in a reduced impact on this year’s rate increases. Thanks are due to Kate Hogan.
Our utility has determined annual rate increases are necessary on a yearly basis in order to continue providing reliable and sustainable sewer and water services into the future.
The proposed increases to sewer and water rates are triggered by many factors including:
- Identified infrastructure improvements necessary to address rehabilitation, replacement, and new demand utility projects
- Significant escalation of construction costs
- Inflationary increases in supply, material, labor, and utility costs
- Lowered contamination limits requiring significant treatment plant updates
New water and sewer rates were presented and approved by the Select Board on March 06, 2024. See full memo:
Water Sewer Publication for Rate Change FY25 (July 1. 2024)
WHAT IF I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS about costs associated with clean water?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq9Yg_jlsUc&t=69s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Z1VmlDPTU
Rockland wellfield Phase 2
Chapter 268 of the Acts of 2022 Economic Development Bill Earmark state Funds of $400,000.00 (thanks to the efforts of Kate Hogan on Maynard’s behalf) for well expansion, permitting and piloting. This allows us to jump-start Phase 2 efforts without additional rate hikes.
So, the Water Division is now beginning to explore Phase 2 of the town’s water capacity improvement plan, exploration of well sources adjacent to Rockland Avenue water treatment facility. Target capacity increase is 0.30 MGD
Estimated timeline of permitting and piloting of 5 years, with a target of expedited permitting within 4 years.
A few words on Phases 3 and 4 for Longer Term sustainability
The MWRA is planning to make available a potential alternative source to our town wells or White Pond, to connect Maynard and other MetroWest municipalities to Eastern MA communities already receiving water from Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs. In the very long term, this path would potentially avoid very costly upgrades to our water treatment facilities for evolving contamination limits like PFAS. According to the MWRA, its water quality is significantly better than the water Maynard draws from its three groundwater sources and PFAS levels already meet coming new standards. Old Marlboro Road wells have slightly higher levels compared to other 2 well sources.
As stated above, White Pond is far above the new levels required (44.5 ppt in recent test). Though recently re-considered as a future potential rehabilitated source, this level likely renders it unsuitable due to contamination, likely associated with the adjacent Stow campus of MA Dept of Fire Services, exorbitant costs for a completely new filtration plant design adding to rising costs for water distribution connection from its location in Stow.
Timeline for using MWRA as a source covers the next 20 to 40 years, with some community hookups possible earlier. See more detail below from the February 2024 Vol 7 issue of the Maynard Advantage Newsletter. Find a copy of that post content and links to MWRA sites immediately below this section. We will explore this potential alternative source and its impact on Phases 3 and 4 much more in future quarterly supplements as the planning at the state level develops. It may impact the initial goal of Phase 3 to update the OMR water Treatment plant to bring currently unused well supplies online there.
For more information, please visit the Town of Maynard Water and Sewer website at:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/257/Water-Sewer
For questions regarding Water and Sewer services please contact Maynard Public Works office at (978) 897-1317 or email at [email protected]
Sources other than noted for this post: Director of Public Works Justin DeMarco, Mark Alston-Follansbee, Bob McCarthy and the town website
Current 4-phase plan…with contingencies
Phase 2: Rockland Ave – Increase capacity at Rockland Avenue WTP by adding a new well supply (to replace a failed well source) and adding backwash waste recycling. plan to complete 3-7 years.
Phase 3a: Old Marlboro Road (OMR): Increase capacity at OMR water treatment facility by upgrading the treatment process, which will allow for Well 3 to be brought back online.
OR…
Phase 3b: Connect to MWRA (rather than bring White Pond into compliance); blends with well distribution system. 20-40 years for completion. Cost TBD. Some community hookups possible earlier, and Maynard is relatively close to a main distribution shaft.
Current implementation plan comments and details:
- We are proactively planning to increase water capacity and improve quality from our town operated well system for new (beyond Maynard Crossing) development opportunities for housing, businesses or industry. In this regard, Maynard is ahead of some surrounding communities in planning for these future issues.
- New challenges derive from rules on PFAS and other contaminant levels
- On October 2, 2020, MassDEP published its public drinking water standard1 for Massachusetts Maximum Contaminant Level (MMCL) of 20 nanograms per liter (ng/L), or parts per trillion (ppt) for a group of six Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)2.
- The MWRA is planning to make available a potential alternative source3 to our town wells, to connect Maynard and other MetroWest municipalities to Eastern MA communities already receiving water from Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs. Timeline covers the next 20 to 40 years , with some community hookups possible earlier.
- A potential scenario presented in the report below in footnote 3 includes a water transmission main connecting Maynard from Shaft L to Concord… Service would be provided to Bedford, Concord, Hudson, Lincoln, Maynard, Stow, Sudbury, and Wayland on this distribution line, a subset of the larger project
- According to the MWRA, its water quality is significantly better than the water Maynard draws from its three groundwater sources and PFAS levels already meet coming new standards. MWRA is willing to provide Maynard 1.7 Million Gallons per Day (MGD), exceeding the 1.13 MGD amount Maynard is currently permitted to draw from our wells. This also represents an amount that can meet our water demands based on future growth estimates from population and business development according to our consultant engineering firm Stantec.
1 https://www.mass.gov/lists/massachusetts-pfas-drinking-water-standard-mcl
2 https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/final-virtual-pfas-explainer-508.pdf
3 https://www.mwra.com/02org/html/expansion/073123-metrowest-1.pdf
Some links for more town information:
Email: [email protected]
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/27/Government
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