WMAC Meeting Minutes June 18, 2009
Attendees: David Crosby – Chair, Ann Carney, Paul Lauenstein, Rory McGregor – Secretary, Jack Sulik, Bob Weeks
Guests: Eric Hooper – DPW Superintendent, Ian Cooke – Exec Director, Neponset River Watershed Assoc (NepRWA), Nancy Fyler – NepRWA staff and town resident, Nancy Hammett – Consultant, Environmental Policy and Management
1. The minutes from the May 26, 2009 meeting were approved as amended.
2. Nancy Hammett reviewed the findings and recommendations in the Sharon Water Conservation Report which she has prepared as part of a water conservation grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP). Most documented information on water conservation and its effects relates to larger towns and municipalities. The question is how far should Sharon go to conserve water? In her report she outlines four possible goals, in order of increasing challenge. Goal #1 would be to limit water use to 65 gallons per capita daily and 10% unaccounted-for water. The drawback to Goal #1 is that total water usage would increase as the population grows. Goal #2 would be to limit water withdrawals to DEP permit limits. These are already considerably higher than actual withdrawals. Goal #3 would hold water usage to current levels by improving water use efficiency as the town grows. Goal #4 would be to reach maximum possible water use efficiency using available technology. Nancy Hammett recommends Goal #3: accommodate all growth without increasing total water usage by reducing average water consumption by 16% to 56.3 gpcd (gallons per capita day) by 2020. Discussion on the goal suggested that we publicize the target as 1.5% per year over the next 10 years, which comes across as an achievable number.
According to Nancy Hammett, the DEP predicts that tap water
consumption will trend upwards. The DEP wants to see towns report water
consumption data vs. in addition to well pumping data. Sharon will be
able to comply next year when the radio meter reading system is fully installed
and quarterly billing is implemented. The public really doesn’t know how much
water they consume and what constitutes a reasonable goal. Sharon must
continue its program of consumer education and take every opportunity to
promote best practices for water conservation. Personalized feedback for
different initiatives, like landscaping which utilizes native vegetation and
minimizes the need for watering, will help townspeople to see how they can contribute
meaningfully to the overall effort.
The question of private wells was discussed and whether there should be an effort to investigate the water consumption attributable to this group. Eric Hooper reported that there are approximately 150 private wells in Sharon and that the water consumption is negligible for those that belong to private families. The handful of businesses with private wells (golf course, apartment buildings) has more impact on water resources and may warrant further consideration.
Nancy Hammett recommended that the water conservation budget continue at a funding level of $50K to $75K per year. The DPW’s contract with NepRWA for services in educational outreach have proven effective with a variety of programs in place. Nancy Fyler reported that her work with the School Department to promote education on water conservation in the classroom required 10 hours of her time working with 5 teachers. The program will continue as part of the school curriculum and should require less of her time in future since the training materials are now in place.
The DEP Administrator for Sharon’s water conservation grant is Malcom Harper. Nancy requested that we provide comments on the report by July 17 so that she can finalize her report for submission to DEP.
3. The spreadsheet prepared by Eric Hooper on proposed water rates was discussed and recommended by the WMAC in a unanimous vote. Eric will inform the selectmen of the proposed rate increase to take place effective Jan 1, 2010. The base rate of $30 per half year, which has not been adjusted in many years, would, if approved, increase to $22.50 per quarter. The increase is both reasonable in terms of the historically low rates that have been charged for water, but now essential to raise sufficient revenue to finance the capital improvements required for the water system infrastructure.
The following quarterly rate schedule was recommended:
Base Rate $15.00 $22.50
0 – 7,500 gallons/quarter $3.00 $3.00
7,500 – 15,000 $3.50 $4.50
15,000 – 22,500 $4.50 $6.00
Over 22,500 $10.00 $10.00
Base Rate $15.00 $22.50
0 – 7,500 gallons/quarter $3.00 $3.00
7,500 – 15,000 $3.50 $5.00
15,000 – 22,500 $4.50 $7.00
Over 22,500 $10.00 $12.00
4. The annual Town Water Quality Report will be mailed to all residents and businesses later this month. It sports an attractive new look, is expanded from 4 to 8 pages, has information on Sharon’s efforts to conserve water and promotes the conservation programs that will help us to reach future goals.
5. The monthly reports circulated by Eric Hooper show that all is well with our water system. Monthly water pumping from our wells continues to show a decline, perhaps in part due to the abundant rainfall, but also due to our conservation initiatives. Eric reported that water consumption at Avalon Bay is 78 gallons per bedroom per day at the high end and 30 gallons at the low end. The Title V standard is 110 gallons per bedroom per day.
6. Next meeting is Thursday , July 23, at the Community Center at 7:30 p.m.