In a river-monitoring data review that Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory provided the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee on Tuesday, a slide presentation illustrated that the 2022 drought, combined with high pumping time, had lasting effects on area water supply for six to eight weeks.
It wasn’t until September when local rainfall finally picked up.
Gregory displayed graphs showing that one of the two wells south of the Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant stayed at the 25% level through the drought while the other well did not. In comparison to groundwater levels in the fall of 2020, there was a similar drought with similar reaction. In October 2021, unusually high rainfall affected the groundwater level. Gregory said the FY23 Annual Report is almost ready to get out to the committee members.
MRV member David Pierce noted that Marion has a summer restriction on water usage, while member John Furtado said that member town Fairhaven held a voluntary ban. “We did okay, considering we didn’t get a lot of rain,” said member John Furtado.
Vinnie Furtado, John’s brother and chairman of the MRV commission and committee, said that Fairhaven typically starts with a voluntary ban.
The MRV is almost at the end of a flushing program that has been adding 250 to 350 hundred gallons to district usage. John Furtado estimates that the flushing will end in mid-August.
Member Nick Nicholson asked Gregory about Well Number 1; the answer is that it came back to proper levels.
Pierce asked if the recovery can be traced to seasonal visitors leaving the area and usage going down as a result. Gregory answered in the affirmative, noting that in mid-to-late September usage trails off. That and the increase of rainfall, he said, contributed to less pumping at the Water Treatment Plant.
Customarily meeting 30 minutes before the MRV Water District Commission, the heavily overlapped Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee also heard from Gregory that he plans to go out with David Watling next week and download data and inspect level loggers.
There are still a couple of original level loggers, maybe three or four, according to Gregory, who is close to swapping them all out for new ones. He said they are supposed to have a 10-year life.
In his Treasurer’s Report to the committee, Mark Furtado reported $62.48 in interest from Rockland Trust, along with two months’ worth of paid invoices including for May: Watling $251.72, Blair Bailey $50, and Tata & Howard $2,684.78 for an ending balance of $149,399.30. For June, Watling $251.72, Bailey $50, and Tata & Howard $3,493.02. An encumbered $150,000 was taken out and left out for an ending balance of $145,667.05.
Jeff Furtado told the committee he does not yet have a year-ending balance. When he receives notice of Rockland Trust interest for May and June, then the committee can close out FY23.
In Renauld’s absence, the committee voted to authorize Vinnie and Jeff Furtado to sign invoices for this month so the committee can make its payments.
Vinnie Furtado gained approval to pay the following invoices: Bailey $50, Tata & Howard $5,261.50, Watling $251.72, and for Meagan McCarthy’s graph work over two months (17 hours) $578.
The Annual Calendar and assessment letters to member-town water officials will be addressed at the committee’s next meeting.
The insurance overview that Vinnie Furtado was to give the commission will be on next month’s meeting agenda.
During the District Water Commission meeting that immediately followed, Vinnie Furtado told the commissioners he had in his possession signed invoices including individual amounts of $6,300, $4,285 and $5,000. The commission voted to approve paying the invoices as signed by Water Treatment Plant Manager Henri Renauld, who could not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Marion representative Meghan Davis reported that she has received information that as a result of PFAS litigation, the MRV can participate in a nationwide Pollution Remedial Expenses case by registering for the cost-recovery program without any cost to participate.
The ensuing discussion yielded no defects in Marion or Rochester. Davis said that Marion conducted sampling last year. The next round of sampling comes up later this month. No details on a timeline for recoveries were available; Davis will keep the commission up to date.
Vinnie Furtado reported having met with Brian Murphy of HUB regarding Water Treatment Plant insurance and went over the imminent facility upgrade. He said HUB may wish to increase the premium. An invoice has been received on the new fiscal year.
The commission approved a $21,000 amendment to the Engineering Agreement for the Water Treatment Plant Upgrade per out-of-scope work that Gregory reported, primarily in working with the emergency SRF funding, getting submittals to MassDEP, preparing the application, satisfying water requirements and related procurement matters.
In his Water Treatment Plant Project Update, Gregory reported that procurement docs are currently out to bid. Tata & Howard is presently working through an addendum for exceptions and questions. Originally scheduled for July 12, the bid is opening scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, at 1:00 pm. Gregory said Tata & Howard is also working on the permitting piece.
In his Tata & Howard Report, Gregory said the FY24 Water Treatment Plant chemical bid process yielded responses regarding citric acid and sodium hydroxide, but no bids were received for liquid oxygen or propane. Renauld will proceed with the awards.
Pierce asked what happens if there are no bids. Gregory said it would become a negotiation with the vendor.
The next meetings of the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee/District Commission are scheduled for Tuesday, August 8, at 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm, respectively.
MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee
By Mick Colageo