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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-01-15 Water and Sewer Advisory Committee MinutesRECEIVED 'rNN' CLERK i' 225- P 197 31 WATER & SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES January 15, 1997 A meeting of the Water & Sewer Advisory Committee was held at 7:50 P.M. on Wednesday, January 15, 1997 in the Conference Room, Reading Town Hall, 16 Lowell St., Reading, MA. In attendance were Chairman Gail Wood, Secretary Stewart Chipman, Committee Member Richard Moore, and DPW Director, Ted McIntire. Meeting Minutes It was moved by Richard Moore, seconded by Stewart Chipman and approved by a vote of 3-0 to accept the minutes of December 18, 1996 as written. Water/Sewer Budgets FY98 Ted McIntire explained the differences in the Department's proposed Budget and the Town Manager's recommended Budget for Water & Sewer. In the Water Budget the Department Head recommended a Treatment Plant Operator-in-Training in the amount of $30,995, the Town Manager did not indicate a recommendation on the Budget sheet, however he has recommended to the Board of Selectmen that that position be funded. In the area of Water & Sewer Supervisor in both of the Budgets the Department recommended an amount of $24,513 in each one of those Budgets and the amount the Town Manager recommended was $23,402. The reason for the Town Manager's recommendation is that the present Supervisor Mr. William Winkler has indicated his desire to retire on July 31, 1997 and the Town Manager has recommended his present salary for the month of July and a salary for the remaining eleven months of FY98 at a lower step in that classification grade. The photo copier in the amount of $4,000 has also been recommended by the Town Manager. The debt for the DPW land was paid off in FY97 and therefore was not necessary in FY98 or FY99. Ted McIntire noted that the schedule for Department Budget Reviews by the Finance Committee has not been established as yet. The next meeting of the Finance Committee is with the Budget Council on January 22, 1997. Former General Electric Property The Committee reviewed a letter from the Department of Environmental Protection to Lockheed Martin, present owner of the former G.E. property at 50 Fordham Road, Wilmington, MA which gives conditional approval for remedial action at the site in accordance with their identified Alternative 2 which includes groundwater recovery wells to be installed on the property. Ted McIntire indicated that he had been contacted by Dino Iseppi of G.E. Aerospace requesting permision to use the model developed by Weston & Sampson Engineers for the Town of Reading Zone II study. After consultation with Town Counsel, Ted Cohen Mr. Iseppi was informed that the computor model developed by Weston & Sampson was not available to General Electric. Water Supply Update Ted McIntire informed the Committee that he and Peter Tassi had attended a meeting at DEP on January 14, 1997 to discuss the spill site status with DEP, Cumberland Farms, Handex and Weston & Sampson Engineers. Cumberland Farms had experienced problems with recovery Well #9 having frozen and recovery Well #10 with a mechanical problem. Contamination in the form of toluene at 289 ppb was present at monitoring Well 1-S. DEP instructed Cumberland Farms to reactivate RW-9 as soon as possible. Handex representatives indicated that they would install a pipe within a pipe with heat tape to insure that the line does not freeze up again and expected to complete. the installation by the end of next week. Ted informed the group the Town of Reading must make a decision in early April regarding water restrictions and requested that a meeting be set up at the end of March, 1997. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, 1997 at the DEP offices. Water Treatment Plant staff noticed a change in the quality of the raw.water and the present of coliform bacteria in the Town Forest Well. Samples were taken from adjacent land areas and from the Ipswich River which showed that the coliform bacteria was coming directly from the River. The Town Forest Well was immediately shut down. Ted noted that at no time was there any coliform bacteria present in the finished.water that was pumped into the distribution system for consumption. Treatment Plant staff also noticed a change in taste of the finished water when Well #15 was being operated. It was decided to discontinue use of Well #15 eventhough there was no effect on the primary quality requirements of the finished water. The problem with Well #15 raw water was a secondary or "cosmetic" change. Peter Tassi has been in constant contact with DEP regarding the taste changes and the water quality testing results. At no time was the health and safety of consumers in jeopardy. Finished Water Quality In mid-December the Town received a substantial amount of comments and complaints regarding the taste of the water. The Town consulted with the Salem/Beverly Water Treatment Supervisor Mr. Tom Nolten and a representative from the D.L. Maher Company regarding the taste problem. These representatives were brought in because of their familiarity with the water quality in the Ipswich River Basin. Sampling was done throughout the system and at the raw water supplies for different perimeters and at this time we have not received the final results of those tests. In a meeting of Treatment Plant staff it was recommended that we try to reduce the amount of feric chloride being used in the treatment process to see if that might alleviate the taste that is being described as metallic. There has been some feedback at this time and it appears that this adjustment is helping the situation. The Town is in the process of putting together a request for proposals or a consultant to come in and evaluate the raw water, the treatment process, the raw water and the finished water throughout the system. Well Development The Town is hiring D.L. Maher to install a test well for a possible gravel packed well construction in land owned by the Reading Open Land Trust located adjacent to West St. and Enos Circle. Access to this property has been gained from the Johnson Egg Farm property on West Street. Drilling is expected to begin within two to three weeks. Peter Tassi is working on preparing a request for proposals for the possible development of bed rock wells in the Town. The Committee recommended that this process be excellerated as much as possible and offered any help to staff that may be needed. Old/New Business Sewer Assessment - Gail Wood will contact Peg Howe to put a letter to the Board of Selectmen regarding sewer main assessments on DPW stationary. Water Tower Leasing - Gail Wood has drafted a letter to the Board of Selectmen regarding income received from the lease of space on the Town water storage tanks with a recommendation for the use of this income. This item will be discussed at the next Water & Sewer Advisory Committee meeting. Open Space Committee - Ted McIntire will send a letter to Peter Hechenbleikner indicating that the Water & Sewer Advisory Committee has recommended Stewart Chipman as its representative to the Committee and also submit the name of Richard Moore as an alternate. Water & Sewer Capital Improvement Program - Richard Moore requested information on debt service costs from 1980 to the present period. Ted McIntire will contact Town Accountant Richard Foley for the necessary information. Future Agendas • February 19, 1997 letter re: sewer main assessments • Letter re: Water Tower leasing • Presentation by staff on projected Water and Sewer rates for FY98. It was moved by Richard Moore, seconded by Stewart Chipman and approved by a vote of 3-0 to adjourn the meeting at 9:45 P.M.