SHARON WATER MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (WMAC) MEETING MINUTES FOR 3/18/04
Prepared by Paul Lauenstein
Present at meeting:
WMAC Chairman Rory McGregor; WMAC members Lealdon Langley, Michael Birschbach, Richard Mandell, David Mark, Jack Sulik and Paul Lauenstein; DPW Superintendent Eric Hooper; Selectman David Grasfield; Conservation Agent Greg Meister; Conservation Commissioner Kathy Roth; Lake Management Committee Chairman Cliff Towner; and Sharon High School senior Jeffrey Staruski
Summary of Minutes for the 3/18/04 WMAC Meeting
1) Review and approve the minutes of the February 12, 2004 meeting with clarification of the kinds of water supply data requested by Richard Mandell.
2) Distribute and discuss Daily Pumping Totals reports and Tank Level reports.
Eric Hooper distributed pumping and tank level data requested by WMAC members at prior meetings, and explained anomalies.
3) Recap Morse Street project discussed at 2/17/04 and 2/24/04 Selectmen’s meetings.
Paul Lauenstein described his actions in approaching the Selectmen directly on the Morse Street water main enlargement project. Richard Mandell moved that the Morse Street project be completed in FY ’04. The motion was not voted upon. Rory McGregor agreed to send a letter to the Selectmen repeating the WMAC’s earlier decision at the January 22 meeting recommending that the Morse Street project be included in FY ’05 capital spending.
4) Discussion of Metcalf & Eddy report
Discussion of this topic was deferred until the April 15 meeting. A few comments were made regarding the hydraulic model.
5) Discussion of five potential well site evaluations
Eric Hooper reported that a contract has been awarded to a consultant (ESS) to evaluate five potential well sites. The evaluation should be complete in time for the April 15 WMAC meeting. Water quality samples will be taken in May at Sharon Memorial Park to measure nitrate levels in the aquifer feeding the Canton Street site.
Selectman David Grasfield asked numerous questions regarding lack of progress on developing a new well over the past four years since abandonment of the Islamic Center well site. Lealdon Langley reported on procedures required by DEP for evaluating a well site.
6) Radio read meter system subcommittee report
Eight proposals for a radio read meter system have been received. Five are for drive-by systems and three are for fixed network systems. The Hexagram fixed network system proposal was disqualified because it arrived after the deadline. Subcommittee members are evaluating the proposals.
7) Water conservation subcommittee report
Paul Lauenstein proposed a discussion of the five water conservation initiatives submitted by the subcommittee at the January 22 WMAC meeting. There was discussion of a bylaw requiring low-flow toilets to be installed when homes are sold. Public service announcements on local cable TV were also discussed, as was the role of Sharon’s public schools in water conservation.
8) Lawn watering restrictions
The same lawn watering restrictions as last year were recommended for this summer.
9) Schedule the next meeting for Thursday, April 15 at 7:30 PM.
Detailed minutes for the 3/18/04 WMAC Meeting
Review and approve the minutes of the February 12, 2004 meeting with changes.
Richard Mandell clarified that he was interested in receiving reports of daily tank levels, daily pumping volume for each well, monitoring well data, drinking water quality data, and any other communications that would provide information on the town’s water supply situation.
2) Distribution and discussion of Daily Pumping Totals reports and Tank Level reports.
Eric Hooper distributed pumping and tank level reports for January and February. He explained three anomalies in the tank level reports. A frozen ball on the level indicator in the Upland Road tank invalidated the readout from January 1 until January 12. On January 26 a temporary computer failure caused the wells to cease pumping. This caused the Moose Hill, Hampton Road and Massapoag Avenue tank levels to drop until the computer was fixed and the wells started pumping again (the Upland Road tank showed no significant effect from this outage). On February 11, nitrate samples were taken at the wells. For this purpose they were shut down for about 12 hours and tank levels were allowed to drop. Then the wells were turned back on and allowed to run for several hours before taking the samples for nitrate analysis.
Except for these anomalies, the levels in all four tanks remained very constant between 422 feet and 424 feet of elevation (about two to four feet from the 426.8 feet overflow elevation), which is typical of winter demand for water.
The Daily Pumping Totals report showed Well #4 providing 40% to 45% of the town’s water during January and February. Well #2 and Well #6 were virtually unused. Total pumping averaged 1,427,000 gallons per day in January (44,222,000 gallons total) and 1,395,000 gallons per day in February (40,463,000 gallons). Eric Hooper commented that January and February pumping represents base indoor water demand, which will climb and become more variable in summer with outdoor water use.
3) Discussion of February 17 and February 24 Selectmen’s Meetings and the proposed Morse Street water main enlargement project.
Paul Lauenstein described what transpired regarding the Morse Street water main replacement issue at the February 17 and February 24 Selectmen’s meetings. At the February 17 Selectmen’s meeting, Paul Lauenstein read a minority opinion advocating prompt replacement of the 6” Morse Street water main with 10” pipe, signed by himself, Richard Mandell, Michael Birschbach, and Lealdon Langley. Paul Lauenstein offered additional information on his own behalf, but the Selectmen asked him to present it at the subsequent meeting on February 24 so that others with opposing opinions could present their points of view.
At the February 24 Selectmen’s meeting, Paul Lauenstein, representing himself, read a statement to the Selectmen offering more reasons to enlarge the Morse Street bottleneck. Eric Hooper then offered three reasons for deferring this project. First, he said the Morse Street project only makes sense in context of the proposed HPSD and new water tank. Second, he said there would be no significant difference in flow if the pipe were replaced. Third, he said the Pond Street water main replacement project would take priority over the Morse Street project because it would facilitate flow from the town’s biggest well (Well #4) and the Upland Road tank via the new 16” Depot Street water main to the east side of town. Paul Lauenstein responded by presenting the Selectmen with a diagram showing increased flow with the 10”
pipe. He said the same assumptions used to justify the HPSD and water tank in the recent Metcalf & Eddy report argue for eliminating the Morse Street bottleneck in order to provide more water to east Sharon in case of fire.
On March 2, Paul Lauenstein emailed specific rebuttals to Eric Hooper’s arguments to the Selectmen.
Following this description of events by Paul Lauenstein, Eric Hooper acknowledged that enlarging the Morse Street water main would afford some relief in the unlikely event that Well #4 were off line and a major fire broke out in east Sharon. He repeated that he felt that replacing the Pond Street main has a higher priority. Asked why, he said the old cast iron pipe on Pond Street is more of a bottleneck because tuberculation of the inside walls is impeding flow. However, he conceded that because the Morse Street water main is asbestos cement, it should get more priority as part of the Water Department’s program to replace all A/C pipe. He also conceded that enlarging the Pond Street main would not help supply water to east Sharon with Well #4 off line.
Jeff Staruski asked what is the life expectancy of A/C pipe, and how old is the A/C pipe on Morse Street.
Rory McGregor pointed out that Eric Hooper had scheduled the Morse Street project in FY ’06 in advance of the Pond Street project in FY ’07. Eric Hooper explained that he had originally scheduled the Morse Street project in FY ’09, but moved it to FY ’06 against his better judgement in response to his impression that the WMAC wanted it done sooner. He said he regretted doing so because it had been held against him in the debate over the Morse Street project, and he would not make that mistake again in the future.
Paul Lauenstein asked if any projects would have to be deferred as a consequence of enlarging the Morse Street water main this spring, given the fact that there is surplus cash in the Water Department account. Eric Hooper said his time for supervising projects is limited, and he felt that other projects have a higher priority.
Paul Lauenstein offered to pass out a diagram showing that a 10” pipe conducts much more water than a 6” pipe, given pressure gradients to be expected at the Morse Street water main. He said he wanted to be sure no one on the committee was misled by a statement made by Eric Hooper at the end of the February WMAC meeting. At that time, Eric Hooper said that the hydraulic model showed that the difference in flow between a 6” pipe and a 10” pipe on Morse Street, with the Massapoag Avenue tank full and the Hampton Road tank empty, would be only 5.5 gpm (330 gallons per hour). However, Rory McGregor said handing out the diagrams would serve no further purpose since there is now agreement that the difference in flow between 6” and 10” pipe would be significant.
Richard Mandell said he was glad that Eric Hooper had acknowledged that the Morse Street project is worth doing as a low pressure service district enhancement, independent of the HPSD/water tank project, and he hoped Eric Hooper would move the Morse Street project forward as quickly as possible.
David Mark expressed his opinion that the WMAC should not try to micro-manage the Water Department, but should focus instead on broader issues such as water conservation. He said he was not comfortable with individual WMAC members such as Paul Lauenstein doing an end run around the committee and approaching the Selectmen with particular issues like the Morse Street water main. He said if all the members did this it would lead to chaos.
Lealdon Langley said he felt the Morse Street issue was an important aspect of the big picture, as it has been recommended in all the Water Master Plans for the past 36 years.
Paul Lauenstein said he had been reluctant to address the Selectmen as an individual citizen on the Morse Street issue. He said his actions were precipitated by Eric Hooper’s claim that there would be no difference in flow between 6” and 10” pipe, Eric Hooper’s scheduling of this project for FY ’06 in spite of the WMAC’s votes to recommend that it be done sooner, and the fact that time was running short to complete the project before summer. Paul Lauenstein added that he believed his actions were in the best interest of the town insofar as they were aimed at improving fire safety this summer. He also added that he recognizes the harm such unilateral action can do to the process of decision-making by committee, and that he hopes it will not be necessary in the future.
Jack Sulik said the chances that Well #4 would fail were infinitesimal, so it shouldn’t be used as a rationale for prioritizing the Morse Street project. He said that in his 20 years of involvement with Sharon’s Water Department Well #4 has never failed. He also commented that in the event that Well #4 were off-line in summer, a ban on outdoor watering would suffice to keep enough water in the tanks to meet a fire emergency. However, he added that for purposes of planning adequate storage capacity for the town, it is standard procedure to assume the largest well is off-line, as Metcalf & Eddy did in its recent Master Plan Update.
Richard Mandell asked what is the life expectancy of a well. Jack Sulik said that 50 years is a commonly used rule of thumb. Paul Lauenstein observed that Well #4 will be 50 years old by 2010.
Michael Birschbach said the probability of well failure surely rises as the well ages. He asked what the most likely cause of well failure would be.
Eric Hooper said the well pump itself can be replaced within 24 hours, so that is not an issue. He said that over time the permeability of the substrate surrounding the well shaft declines as particles of fine silt clog the spaces between sand and gravel particles, and this gradually reduces the productivity of the well.
MOTION
Richard Mandell made a motion to reconsider the votes of January 22 and recommend re-scheduling the Morse Street project in FY ’04 in order to complete it in time for this summer.
David Mark said he would second the motion on condition that Eric Hooper was agreeable. He then announced his immediate resignation from the WMAC.
Eric Hooper said there is no longer enough time to complete the Morse Street project before the summertime high demand season, during which it would be unwise to interrupt flow on Morse Street. He said the bidding process and awarding of a contract for the Edge Hill Road A/C pipe replacement project would take four months to complete. He described the process as follows:
Prepare an RFP for engineering design services, permitting, surveying, protecting wetland, dealing with ledge issues, supplying new pipe, and disposing of old A/C pipe.
Check credentials of bidders, including conducting an interview, checking the state bid list, checking for any arrest record, etc., and select a finalist.
Draw up a contract and have it approved by Town Counsel.
Rory McGregor said he still favors delaying the Morse Street project until FY ’05. He reminded the committee members present that two members who had voted against doing the Morse Street project in FY ’04 were absent, and he felt it would be unfair to take advantage of their absence to change the outcome of the January 22 vote.
Paul Lauenstein asked him why he favors FY ’05 over FY ’04. Rory McGregor said he believes the probability of a fire with Well #4 off line is very low, and he doesn’t believe the additional flow of a 10” pipe would make enough difference to justify expediting completion of this project in time for this summer.
Richard Mandell’s motion was not voted upon.
Paul Lauenstein reminded the committee that, as things stand now, the Morse Street project is not included in the Water Dept.’s capital spending proposal for FY ’05.
ACTION ITEM
Rory McGregor agreed to send a letter to the Selectmen repeating the WMAC’s recommendation to complete the Morse Street project as expeditiously as possible in FY ’05.
Richard Mandell pointed out that, at the February 24 Selectmen’s meeting, Rory McGregor alluded to new WMAC members voting for doing the Morse Street project in FY ’04 in a way that Richard Mandell felt was somewhat demeaning to the new members. Rory McGregor said he did not intend his comments to the Selectmen to be disparaging in any way to the new members, and pointed out that he personally provided the swing vote to bring the Morse Street project forward to FY ’05. He said he would try to be more diplomatic in the future.
4) Discussion of the Metcalf & Eddy report
Rory McGregor suggested deferring discussion of the M & E report until the April 15 WMAC meeting. It was agreed not to bring in Metcalf & Eddy.
Paul Lauenstein requested 15 minutes on the April 15 agenda to speak about the M & E report. Rory McGregor agreed to this request.
Eric Hooper commented that the WMAC needs to decide if they have faith in the hydraulic model. He said while not perfect, it represents state of the art technology for evaluating water distribution systems such as Sharon’s.
Michael Birschbach said he would like to see how the hydraulic model works, and have an opportunity to try it out. Eric Hooper said an engineering degree is needed to understand the inputs and outputs of the hydraulic model, so it would be unproductive for the members of the committee who are not engineers to try to understand it.
5) Discussion of five potential well site evaluations
Eric Hooper reported that an RFP to perform site screening at five potential well sites was issued. Three firms responded with proposals. A consulting firm called ESS won the contract with a low bid of $4,800. Eric Hooper said they would be ready with a presentation at the next WMAC meeting on April 15.
Lealdon Langley requested that the consultant prepare a spreadsheet lining up the attributes of the five potential sites.
Richard Mandell requested that the sites be prioritized by the consultant.
Paul Lauenstein commented that there should be a way to review results from the numerous exploratory test wells that have been drilled in Sharon in past years. Eric Hooper said the IEP report done in 1987 summarized results obtained up to that point, and mapped the aquifers underlying the town.
Eric Hooper said he would collect and analyze water quality samples from a well at Sharon Memorial Park after the well has been pumped for a while in May. He said this will show if the nitrate levels are low enough in the aquifer for a pump test to be conducted at the actual Canton Street site. He said both wells share the same aquifer, so inference could be made about nitrate concentrations at the Canton Street site from samples taken at Sharon Memorial Park without the cost of actually pumping the Canton Street site.
David Grasfield asked if a test well had been already been done at the Canton Street site.
Eric Hooper said a 2.5” exploratory test well had been drilled at the Canton Street site in 1997. However, he said the results from pumping a small well for a few hours were not sufficient to determine nitrate levels that might be obtained following large volume pumping sustained over several days such as will occur this spring and summer at Sharon Memorial Park.
David Grasfield asked why it was necessary to do a site screening at the Canton Street site if an exploratory test well had already been done, considering that site screening is normally done prior to an exploratory test well.
Lealdon Langley said he recalled that the site screening procedure and forms were developed by the DEP after 1997 when the Canton Street exploratory well was drilled, and therefore the Canton Street site had never been properly screened.
David Grasfield then asked if Water Department employees are not familiar enough with the five sites in question to answer all the questions on the site screening form, saving the time and expense of hiring a consultant.
Eric Hooper said site screening procedures must be followed rigorously to fend off challenges from the DEP, watershed associations, and other environmental watchdog groups. He said that in order to obtain a permit from the DEP to build a well, it must be demonstrated that there is no better site in town, so all potential sites must be properly screened.
David Grasfield asked why the Canton Street site has not been pursued further in the six years since the exploratory test well was drilled there.
Eric Hooper responded that the effort that went into developing the Islamic Center well, which was suspended due to various environmental concerns, pre-empted efforts to develop the Canton Street site. He stated that initial tests at the Islamic Center site indicated better yield and better water quality (less nitrates) than the Canton Street site, but that ultimately unacceptable negative environmental impacts blocked a well being established at the Islamic Center site. Eric Hooper said Sharon’s Conservation Commission was responsible for bringing in the DEP and halting the Islamic Center well.
David Grasfield then asked why, once the determination had been made in 1999 that the Islamic Center site was not feasible, the next best site (Canton Street) was not pursued.
David Grasfield also asked why the ConCom was not consulted at the beginning of the Islamic Center site evaluation process, which would have revealed the impacts on the cedar swamp wetlands, saving much time and expense.
David Grasfield asked why, if filling out the DEP site screening forms is an important first step to evaluating a potential well site, the Water Department drilled two exploratory test wells near the Gobbi property without first filling out the site screening forms.
Eric Hooper replied that he believes this site has no significant potential as a town well. He decided to do the exploratory test wells to demonstrate that fact and rule out this site.
David Grasfield said that exploratory test wells are not prohibitively expensive considering the value to the town of a new well, and reminded Eric Hooper of his analogy of drilling holes from the second story of a house into the basement as a method for locating the water tank.
David Grasfield asked why, given the importance of a new well, has so little progress been made to advance the development of new wells in Sharon over the past four years since the Islamic Center site was abandoned. He said he is in favor of doing a thorough analysis prior to taking action, but that should not be an excuse for inaction.
Eric Hooper commented that an effort had been made last year to drill five irrigation wells. The idea was to substitute water from these irrigation wells for municipal drinking water used to irrigate town ball fields. However, all five irrigation wells failed.
Jack Sulik said pump tests are expensive, and elevated nitrate levels in the range of 3.5 ppm indicated that the Canton Street site might not be viable for the long term.
David Grasfield asked if there were enough money in the FY ’05capital spending plan to conduct well site evaluations.
Rory McGregor reported that there is $50,000 for exploration and $100,000 for permitting requested for FY ’05. An additional $200,000 for pump testing has been recommended for FY ’06.
David Grasfield asked how long it takes to get a pump test done.
Lealdon Langley said it typically takes a year to complete the approvals for a pump test. He reviewed the steps necessary to get approval from the DEP for building a new well:
Conduct a town-wide site exam, including completion of site screening documents for all potential well sites.
Drill an 2.5” exploratory test well for a preliminary assessment of productivity and water quality.
Obtain a DEP permit to conduct a pump test.
Drill an 8” well and conduct a 10-day pump test to further evaluate the quantity and quality of water available at the site.
Obtain a DEP permit to withdraw water up to the permitted amount.
Jack Sulik added that a consultant is required to assist with permitting.
Michael Birschbach asked why not start the RFP process for conducting a pump test at the Canton Street site immediately, since the exploratory test well had already been done.
Lealdon Langley explained that the DEP requires all potential sites in town to be screened before issuing a permit for a pump test. He recommended that the Islamic Center site at a reduced yield (250,000 to 300,000 gallons per day) should be added to the list of five other potential sites to be screened.
Greg Meister cautioned that the pump test conducted at the Islamic Center site revealed elevated iron and manganese contamination, which would necessitate an expensive treatment facility. He also cautioned that the results of the pump test were suspect because the discharged water was not conducted far enough away from the pump site. This resulted in an artificially high recharge rate caused by discharged water being drawn back into the well.
David Grasfield suggested that the cost to connect a well at the Islamic Center site to existing infrastructure might be relatively high compared to other sites, especially if permitted withdrawals were relatively low.
Lealdon Langley commented that a description of infrastructure improvements required to connect a new well to the existing water distribution system is part of the site screening process. He said even though a cost estimate is not required, it should be possible to compare the relative cost of various sites by looking at the improvements required at each site.
Paul Lauenstein asked about the status of access to the Gobbi property for the purpose of drilling exploratory test wells. David Grasfield said he anticipates meeting with the new owners as soon as it can be arranged.
6) Report from the Radio Read Meter subcommittee
Eric Hooper reported that all proposals have been received, and distributed to the graders. He said the subcommittee will meet at the end of March to narrow the field from seven down to three using a checklist rating approach. He said the Hexagram bid was not received on time due to a FedEx glitch, but according to town counsel that bid had to be disqualified because it missed the deadline.
Paul Lauenstein requested permission to call the vendors and references as a means of getting a better idea of the relative merits of the various proposals. Eric Hooper said he would get him a list of questions to ask on the phone.
David Grasfield asked about the relative merits of a fixed network system versus an upgradable drive-by system.
Rory McGregor suggested taking up that question at the April 15 meeting.
7) Report from the Water Conservation subcommittee
Paul Lauenstein distributed a list of five initiatives proposed by the Water Conservation subcommittee at the January 22 WMAC meeting. He said the WMAC will have to make recommendations on how to spend $50,000 requested for FY ’05 for water conservation. He suggested that the WMAC review and debate these proposals to arrive at a list of recommendations for the Selectmen. He also distributed copies of a flyer circulated in the town of Dennis informing citizens about the water supply, including items related to water conservation.
David Grasfield suggested that the subcommittee find out what other towns are doing to conserve water.
Lealdon Langley brought up the idea of a bylaw to require low-flow toilets be installed as a condition of allowing the sale of any house in Sharon. He said the procedure for passing such a bylaw is complicated and time-consuming, so we should get started soon.
David Grasfield suggested contacting Town Clerk Marlene Chused to find out about the procedure, and finding out if any neighboring towns have such bylaws. If so, Sharon could use the bylaw of another town as a template.
Eric Hooper commented that to the extent the water conservation program is successful it will diminish Water Department revenues. Paul Lauenstein responded that water pricing will have to be reviewed if revenues drop to the point that there is not enough to fund operations and capital improvements.
Paul Lauenstein suggested that the 4-page Water Quality Report to be mailed to all residents in June be expanded to a 6-page report, and put information regarding water conservation on the extra 2 pages. Eric Hooper suggested showing readers how to compute gallons per capita per day (gpcd) on the extra two pages, and giving them benchmarks for comparison, such as Sharon’s average gpcd and the state recommended 65 gpcd conservation standard.
Rory McGregor asked Jeff Staruski how the school could help with water conservation. He added that a new WMAC representative from the High School should be designated for next year.
Jeff Staruski said he would look into putting an article about water conservation in the Sharon High School newsletter, and ask about someone to be his successor at the WMAC.
David Grasfield mentioned the Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) program in the elementary schools as a way to introduce water conservation concepts to schoolchildren, as well as get the message to their parents.
Richard Mandell said Earth Science would have been the appropriate course to talk about water conservation at the High School, but it has been cut from the curriculum for budgetary reasons.
Both David Grasfield and Lealdon Langley said that people don’t even know where their water comes from, and suggested using free public service announcements on Sharon Cable TV to educate people about the water supply and promote water conservation.
Paul Lauenstein said he had already talked to Phyllis Bernstein at the Sharon Cable TV office. He reported that she suggested short, simple, specific messages, such as using dye tablets to diagnose leaky toilets. He said he had some ideas, but needed help with the actual video production. Richard Mandell and Jeff Staruski suggested talking to Mary Anne Janosko, who teaches TV and Media classes at Sharon High School.
Lealdon Langley had an idea about making a video of an aquifer model. He said the DEP has such a model, which effectively demonstrates where water comes from. Richard Mandell said Sharon High School also has such a model, adding that it is an effective teaching tool.
8) Lawn watering restrictions
Jack Sulik pointed out that a decision will have to be made soon regarding lawn watering restrictions, and that the Selectmen will be looking to the WMAC for advice. He suggested repeating last summer’s restrictions: 2 hours (6 to 8 pm), 2 days per week (Monday through Thursday, odd/even).
Paul Lauenstein suggested shifting the schedule to Sunday/Monday, Wednesday/Thursday to balance the demand across the week, but other members felt Sunday would be inconvenient for some townspeople.
Eric Hooper commented that rainfall in 2004 is already well below average. Paul Lauenstein asked what is the trigger for tightening watering restrictions. Eric Hooper said it is up to the Selectmen.
9) Scheduled the next meeting Thursday, April 15 at 7:30 PM.
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