SHARON WATER MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (WMAC) MEETING MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2005

Prepared by Paul Lauenstein

Present at meeting:

WMAC Chairman Michael Birschbach; WMAC members Paul Lauenstein, Richard Mandell, Rory McGregor, Len Sekuler, Mike Sherman, Jack Sulik and Cliff Towner; DPW Superintendent Eric Hooper, and Conservation Commission Administrator Greg Meister.

Summary of Minutes for the 9/15/05 WMAC Meeting

1. Approve 7/7/05 minutes

2. Report of the Water Department

- Nitrate trends

- Groundwater monitoring wells

- August well pumping

- Well site testing

- Emergency backup

- Iron/Manganese filtration at Well #6

- Radio meter RFP

3. Morse Street and Depot Street pipe retrospectives

4. Radio meter reading system

5. Cooperation between the WMAC and the Water Department

6. Water web site

7. Next meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 7:30 PM

Detailed Minutes for the 9/15/05 WMAC Meeting

1. Approve 7/7/05 minutes

The 7/7/05 minutes were unanimously approved.

2. Report of the Water Department

Nitrate trends

Eric Hooper reported that nitrates in Well #2 are trending upwards (3/94 – 8/05) at a very slow rate which, if it continues for about 10 years, would result in nitrates reaching 5 mg/l. Well #3 is trending downward (3/94 – 8/05) at a similar rate, and Well #4 is not trending significantly (7/60 – 8/05). Taken as a group, the three wells in the Beaver Brook Valley do not appear to be trending upwards or downwards.

Groundwater monitoring wells

Eric Hooper reported that there are 55 active monitoring wells in Sharon. He said four additional wells have been lost. In addition there are 2 USGS long term monitoring wells in Foxboro and Norfolk. He provided the committee with groundwater elevation plots for all of these locations beginning on December 28, 1998 through the present. Eric Hooper reported that average groundwater elevation has risen 8.44 inches over the past 6 years and 8 months.

August well pumping

Sharon’s six wells pumped 63,672,000 gallons in August. Maximum day in August was 2,474,000 gallons on 8/11. Maximum day in July was 2,676,000 gallons on 7/26. Eric Hooper said these data are subject to revision depending on year-end meter calibration.

Well site testing

Five bore holes were drilled at the Blair Circle site. Three encountered refusal indicative of till at 5’, 6’ and 6’, respectively. The other two encountered bedrock at 18’.

Two wells, one 58’ deep and one 52’ deep, were bored at the Maskwonicut Street site. The 58’ bore encountered silty sand for the first 55’, followed by three feet of gravel. The 52’ bore encountered silty sand for the first 40’, followed by 12’ of fine sand and gravel. In addition, a 25 gpm pumping test is being done at test well #15-74, which was drilled in 1974. Two more wells will be installed.

Eric Hooper reported that the results of drilling and testing should be available in October.

Emergency backup

Eric Hooper reported that Representatives of the Sharon Water Department met with Larry Barrett of the Stoughton Water Department to obtain permission to evaluate the Cobbs Corner, Plain Street and Chemung Street sites. Stoughton’s water is supplied by a combination of Stoughton wells and MWRA water. The Stoughton wells can supply a maximum of 2.4 million gallons daily, and up to 1.2 million gallons daily can be purchased from MWRA, for a total of 3.6 million gallons daily. August 2005 demand has been around 3.4 mgd.

Paul Lauenstein commented that MWRA does not care whether the annual quota is taken evenly throughout the year or concentrated in the summer months.

Eric Hooper replied that Mr. Barrett’s concern has more to do with impacts on the Stoughton water supply system than exceeding Stoughton’s MWRA quota.

Stoughton has two connections to MWRA water, an 8” connection to a Canton water main (which is also partially supplied by MWRA) via Pearl Street, and a 12” direct connection to an MWRA water main on Island Street.

The three possible hookup sites along Bay Road have the following pipe sizes on the Stoughton side:

Plain Street 12” and 8”

Chemung Street 12” and 8”

Cobb’s Corner 12”

The pressures in the pipes on the Stoughton side are estimated to be between 60 and 80 psi. Pressure on the Sharon side is approximately 80 to 90 psi, based on June, 2005 tests, so a booster pump will be required to pump water from Stoughton to Sharon. Further flow tests on the Stoughton water mains can be conducted in October once the summertime high demand season has passed.

Eric Hooper reported that Mr. Barrett said that the emergency connection could not be used to obtain supplementary water for non-emergency purposes without MWRA approval. He provided correspondence from 2001 and early 2002 between MWRA and Stoughton, and between DEP and MWRA.

Eric Hooper reported that Mr. Barrett added that Stoughton would have to study the impact of providing emergency water to Sharon. Stoughton is currently working with Weston & Sampson to develop a hydraulic model, which will be useful for anticipating such impacts under various conditions.

Eric Hooper reported that Mr. Barrett also had some concerns about the possible effects on water quality of providing emergency water to Sharon. MWRA disinfects its water with chloramine, whereas Stoughton uses sodium hypochlorite. Because of chemical differences, sudden changes in the mix can have undesirable consequences. Stoughton tries to maintain a mix of 25% MWRA water and 75% Stoughton water. A sudden increase in demand caused by an emergency in Sharon could upset the balance.

Eric Hooper reported that Mr. Barrett provided Sharon with a color coded map of Stoughton’s water mains, and offered to discuss the issues further with representatives from Sharon.

Iron/Manganese filtration at Well #6

Eric Hooper reported that the greensand/proprietary media pilot is complete. Since this technology is widely used and well understood, less extensive piloting is required. Testing of the newer biological approach is ongoing, and should be complete this month, with a report forthcoming in October.

Michael Birschbach said he had heard complaints from residents of “dirty water” this summer.

Eric Hooper explained that piloting requires that Well #6 be running, which results in water discolored by iron and manganese. As a result, numerous “dirty water” complaints have been received by the Water Department.

Eric Hooper also reported that the Water Department received a complaint of emerald green water. This was an isolated incident. Eric Hooper said he wrote a letter to the resident asking that he notify the Water Department promptly if it reoccurs.

3. Morse Street and Depot Street pipe retrospectives

Eric Hooper reported that a water main break occurred on Johnson Road at approximately 1:00 A.M. on the morning of July 26. This caused the Hampton Road tank to empty, and exposed areas on the east side of town to the risk of having insufficient water to fight a fire during the crisis, which lasted several hours. Eric Hooper pointed out that the enlarged Morse Street pipe did not prevent the tank from emptying.

Mike Sherman asked how the break was detected. Eric Hooper replied that an alarm alerted Water Department personnel when the water level in the Hampton Road tank dropped.

Richard Mandell asked what caused the break. Eric Hooper replied that the cause of the break is not known.

Eric Hooper handed out a tank level graph showing that the water level in the Massapoag Avenue tank did begin to drop significantly for at least two hours following the precipitous drop in the Hampton Road tank, citing this as evidence of the inefficacy of the Morse Street pipe.

Richard Mandell commented that the original tank level graphs provided to the WMAC showed a prompt response by the Massapoag Avenue tank after the water main break and also after lawn watering periods. Eric Hooper replied that the 12-hour time scales of the original SCADA graphs are not as precise as the 1-hour time scale of the detail graph, and are therefore harder to interpret.

Paul Lauenstein pointed out that immediately prior to the crisis of July 26, water levels in all four tanks were low due to lawn water watering a few hours earlier. The tanks were refilling when the water main broke at about 1:00 A.M. The tanks stopped refilling and, sooner or later, began to fall. He said all six wells must have been pumping since the tanks were not full. He said normal consumption in the town was undoubtedly minimal at that time of night, so most of the water being pumped from the wells must have been flowing toward the water main break until it was isolated at about 4:00 A.M. Since the most direct route to the break from several town wells was around the south end of Lake Massapoag, there must have been significant flow through the Morse Street pipe. Since a 12” pipe conducts several times more water than a 6” pipe, water must have moved faster to the east side of town through the enlarged Morse Street pipe.

Michael Birschbach said that the Sharon Fire Department had been promptly notified of the problem.

Richard Mandell asked if fire fighting had been compromised.

Cliff Towner pointed out that there is a 50 foot elevation differential between the bottom of the Hampton Road tank and the highest home on the east side of Sharon. The elevations of Johnson Road and most other neighborhoods in east Sharon are considerably lower. Given the fact that water pressure increases by 0.434 psi for every foot of elevation differential, there probably would have been enough water to fight a fire during the crisis, except on Johnson Road itself where the water main break had to be isolated for repairs.

Len Sekuler suggested that the hydraulic model should be used to simulate the break, as well as other realistic scenarios. He said the WMAC should assess the probability of a serious disaster, decide what level of fire risk is acceptable, and recommend practical measures to minimize the risk.

Eric Hooper said he would run a hydraulic model scenario to simulate the residual pressures available on the east side of town given the circumstances of July 26.

Richard Mandell asked if the assumptions about domestic water consumption per household in the hydraulic model are the same for all neighborhoods in Sharon.

Eric Hooper replied that the town is divided into six billing sections, and that the model is presently programmed to assume that water consumption is the same for each household within a given billing section.

Cliff Towner said that the purpose of the Morse Street pipe enlargement was to move water faster from the tanks and wells in the south and west areas of town to the east side, both to maintain pressure by preventing the Hampton Road tank from dropping so much after lawn watering and also to promote turnover in the Massapoag Avenue tank to reduce stagnation. A VFD booster pump had been discussed as a way to accelerate flow through the Morse Street pipe from the tanks and wells on the south and west of Sharon to the east side. However, no booster pump has been installed, so the benefit of the pipe at present is limited to the amount of water that moves by gravity alone.

Michael Birschbach said the July 26 water main break illustrates how Sharon’s fire-fighting capability could be vulnerable. He said this should be an agenda item for the next WMAC meeting.

Cliff Towner commented that Rattlesnake Hill would be getting its own private water tank, and asked if anyone had discussed the possibility of using that tank to provide emergency water to the town. He also suggested that a new well and an emergency connection to Stoughton would improve the availability of supplementary water in an emergency.

Jack Sulik said the whole point of the High Pressure Service District (HPSD)was to provide water in an emergency.

Cliff Towner replied that the HPSD would only protect a very small part of Sharon.

Eric Hooper said the parts of Sharon outside the HPSD are at lower elevations, so they already have adequate fire protection.

Richard Mandell asked about houses at high elevations on Moose Hill.

Eric Hooper said they would be supplied by water from wells #3, 5, 6 and 7.

Cliff Towner said that if the 16” water main on Depot Street broke, all the water from the wells would flow there, leaving homes on Moose Hill exposed to fire risk.

Jack Sulik said a 1 million gallon tank at high elevation would provide fire protection for the whole town.

Eric Hooper said the July 26 incident revealed that the Morse Street and Depot Street pipe replacement projects alone are clearly not sufficient to provide fire protection 100% of the time. The next step in an emergency would be a hydrant-to-hydrant connection to a neighboring town. Eric Hooper suggested that additional storage might be less expensive than an emergency connection to MWRA.

Cliff Towner said that Eric Hooper had already submitted a list of available

emergency connections to neighboring towns. He asked what would happen if a break occurred in a lower elevation neighborhood where the pressure would be higher.

Eric Hooper replied that a break of that magnitude would be discovered quickly, but even so the system would not respond instantly.

Cliff Towner said that with so many emergency connections available, there would probably be one in the vicinity of the break, so the response should be fairly rapid.

Eric Hooper said any emergency connection would entail a significant lag in response to a water main break. He added that breaks as big as the July 26 break are rare, and that the question is one of acceptable risk.

Richard Mandell asked if an acoustic leak detection system would detect a leak like the one at Johnson Road, or if the SCADA system could be programmed to sound an alarm as soon as a tank begins to drop abnormally rapidly.

Eric Hooper replied that re-programming the SCADA system might be possible, but it could be challenging to avoid false alarms arising from normal drops in water level due to things like lawn watering.

Paul Lauenstein said acoustic leak detection systems are designed to detect slow leaks that drain away the majority of unaccounted-for water over long periods of time. He commented that there were no dramatic breaks in 2004 such as the one on Johnson Road, yet unaccounted-for water amounted to 52 million gallons, equal to four Olympic swimming pools per week. Big water main breaks, though dramatic, are usually discovered and fixed quickly, resulting in only modest losses of water compared to slow leaks that continue unnoticed month after month.

Cliff Towner asked how, given the fact that a 12” pipe conducts water from Well #4 to Depot Street, the 16” water main on Depot Street could increase flow to the east side of town. He added that his understanding is that the 16” pipe feeds 8” pipe at Post Office Square.

Jack Sulik replied that larger diameter pipe reduces friction loss.

Cliff Towner commented that the same could be said for the Morse Street pipe.

Eric Hooper said there is more head loss on Depot Street than on Morse Street. He added that the 16” pipe feeds five other pipes: Station Street, North Main Street, South Main Street, Pond Street, and Billings Street.

Richard Mandell asked if all five are actually connected to the 16” pipe on Depot Street.

Jack Sulik asked if there is an up-to-date pipe diagram that would show the pipe connections in the center of Sharon. Eric Hooper replied that he would provide the WMAC with a piping diagram at the next meeting.

4. Radio meter reading system

Eric Hooper reported that the radio meter RFP is currently under review by the Inspector General. The intent is to obtain independent costs for three types of data collection systems: drive-by, drive-by that can be “migrated” or upgraded in the future to fixed network, and fixed network.

Mike Sherman apologized for the tone of an email he sent that was critical of the radio meter RFP. He said he is concerned that the process is backwards, with the RFP being issued before determining the benefits of a radio meter system for Sharon, preparing a realistic cost-justification, visiting other towns to see all available technologies, and running pilot tests. He suggested taking a step back and reviewing the three available methods:

• Walk-by systems: short radio range, relatively labor intensive

• Drive-by systems: still involves cost of driving around

• Fixed network systems: no labor cost, more frequent meter reads

Mike Sherman said Boston Water & Sewer Commission’s fixed network reads all the meters four times daily. The data is used to analyze water use patterns and monitor unaccounted-for water frequently. Mike Sherman said he was initially doubtful that a fixed network system, which typically costs more than a drive-by or walk-by system, would pay for itself. However, the extra benefits, coupled with falling prices due to competition, have caused him to change his mind. He recommended getting an independent assessment of which technology would be appropriate for Sharon based on the costs and the benefits of the respective systems, especially considering that Sharon will have to live with its choice for the next 15 to 20 years.

Jack Sulik said he disagreed with starting over. He said the evaluation committee would be in a better position to evaluate the costs and benefits of the various proposals with the bids in hand.

Mike Sherman replied that the RFP is structured to make fixed network systems appear to be more expensive than drive-by systems. He said it would be a shame to let the opportunity to obtain a fixed network system slip by.

Jack Sulik commented that the Selectmen have decided to appoint a separate radio meter evaluation committee excluding WMAC members.

Rory McGregor said he doesn’t think Sharon will take advantage of the features of a fixed network system.

Mike Sherman said that development pressures in Sharon over the coming decade will increase the importance of water conservation, and that the daily data provided by a fixed network system will become increasingly useful in understanding water use patterns and managing demand for water.

Richard Mandell asked if the RFP is structured to allow vendors to bid on the meters and the radios separately, or if they must bid on both.

Eric Hooper replied that vendors will be required to bid on both. He said that since the plan is to use Water Department employees to install the system, the radios and meters should be pre-assembled at the factory to save labor and prevent wiring failures. He added that some companies such as Neptune sell both meters and radios, while others have formed strategic alliances to supply both meters and radios. For example, Invensys/Sensus uses Badger meters and Hexagram uses Amco meters. He said that most of Sharon’s water meters are older style pulse meters that lack encoder registers which are more compatible with radio meter reading systems, so most of Sharon’s meters would have to be replaced anyway.

Mike Sherman responded that knowledgeable industry observers recommend “open architecture” radio meter reading systems that can read all major brands of water meters, rather than locking the town into proprietary hardware.

Cliff Towner predicted that the town would buy a drive-by system.

Michael Birschbach said he thought it would not be in the town’s best interest for the Selectmen to start all over again with an evaluation committee composed of people with no knowledge of radio meter technology. He added that evaluating the radio meter system and making a recommendation clearly falls within the mission of the WMAC, and the members of the committee are already informed and passionate about the advantages and disadvantages of the various technologies. He offered to approach the Selectmen and recommend that they allow the WMAC to evaluate the radio meter proposals.

Rory McGregor said he thought it was beyond Michael Birschbach’s ability to sway the Selectmen.

Richard Mandell said that whereas last time the radio meter evaluation was assigned to a subcommittee, this time it should be assigned to the full nine member WMAC in view of the significance of the investment.

Mike Sherman said the assembled expertise of the WMAC makes it well-qualified for the task.

Jack Sulik commented that the passion exhibited by certain WMAC members was the reason for the Selectmen’s reluctance to involve the WMAC in the evaluation process. He said he would only support Michael Birschbach’s initiative to approach the Selectmen if every WMAC member would make a commitment to abide by the decision of the majority, and promise not to carry the fight beyond the WMAC.

All present agreed to this, so Michael Birschbach said as Chairman he would approach the Selectmen and request that the radio meter evaluation be assigned to the WMAC.

Greg Meister reported that the Selectmen had just passed the regulation requiring new construction in Sharon to install water-efficient fixtures and appliances as a condition of hooking up to Sharon’s water supply.

5. Cooperation between the WMAC and the Water Department

Cliff Towner said that he hoped it would be possible to improve the working relationship between the WMAC and the Water Department. He said cooperation and communication between the WMAC and the Water Department would better serve the interests of the community as it copes with the challenges facing the town’s water supply. He suggested a gentlemen’s agreement that from now on all substantive written communication with the Selectmen by the WMAC should first be passed by Eric Hooper to obtain Eric Hooper’s feedback, and in so doing foster a more constructive relationship with the Water Department for the benefit of the community. Cliff Towner added that he hoped that Eric Hooper would reciprocate.

Cliff Towner also said that strong differences of opinion are natural, and should not be taken personally or allowed to interfere with a constructive working relationship.

There was general consensus to abide by this understanding going forward.

6. Water Web site

Paul Lauenstein reported that Rory McGregor and he had begun working with Gerry Schanz and Ernie Varitimos on a water web site to provide water-related information to the townspeople.

Rory McGregor said there would be three sections:

• Water conservation information and tips

• Rate information, including a water bill calculator

• Water system information (pipes, tanks, wells, elevations, pressure, etc.)

Michael Birschbach asked what the cost would be.

Rory McGregor said the town would only have to pay the modest cost to host the site. He said Ernie and Gerry had offered to do the web site design free, and that he (Rory McGregor) and Paul Lauenstein were in the process of generating the content.

Paul Lauenstein asked Eric Hooper as a point of information if the price of water used by irrigation systems using separate meters was $5.00 per thousand gallons as indicated on the reverse of the water bill, or if the irrigation rate is actually the top block rate of $7.00 per thousand gallons.

Eric Hooper said that $7.00 per thousand is the rate being charged. He said the Water Department is trying to keep costs down by using up the pre-printed billing forms, and that when new forms are ordered the rate information will be corrected on the reverse.

Len Sekuler asked if it were wise to provide too much information about the town’s water infrastructure such as the locations of water tanks in view of heightened concern about terrorism.

Eric Hooper said this information is so easy to obtain that he doubted that putting it on a water web site would significantly increase risk of a terror attack.

7. Next meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 7:30 PM