Decision on water to be made by May 31

Published in the April 26, 2018 edition

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — In the continuing quest to obtain as much information about the pros and cons in the MWRA vs. Andover water options for the town, the Board of Selectmen Monday night was unanimous in extending its decision by another month, to May 31.

This decision was reached after a detailed presentation by two project managers from the town’s consulting engineering firm, Wright-Pierce, Rob Williamson and Mark Stein, and Utilities Superintendent Mark Clark.

The original April 30 date was self-imposed by the board back in October when it was anticipated that the data needed by Wright-Pierce to conduct its peer review evaluation of the Andover water system and future sewerage options would have been obtained by the first of the year. A similar evaluation of the MWRA option had already been completed.

But the need for two Special Town Meetings in Andover, one in January and one in April, to get the go-ahead to continue to hammer out a 99-year contract amenable to both towns ultimately delayed this peer review. Selectman Steve O’Leary requested that the board enable him and Selectman Bob Mauceri to continue their negotiations with Andover with the goal of the board taking its vote by May 31 “so the appropriate issues would be ready by June Town Meeting.”

Mauceri added, “We have already come to a long term agreement” as to “what should be in it.” The two towns are currently working on the “legal” details in that agreement, “not changes” to it, he said.

Waiting an additional month will not affect the town’s position with the MWRA and the town of Reading, O’Leary explained, because Reading would not be taking its vote on the matter until next fall at its own Town Meeting, opting to wait to bring the question forward once North Reading had made its decision.

“The MWRA and Reading have been very forthright and straightforward. We were not looking for them to negotiate against themselves or Andover, and they reluctantly understood” that North Reading needed to fully investigate its options with the Andover before committing one way or the other, O’Leary said.

One factor revealed in the evaluation that made continuing the negotiations palatable to the full board was the comparisons between the two options for future wastewater needs. It was stated Monday that the connection via the MWRA would be limited to a maximum daily sewage flow of 100,000 versus a potential capacity of 500,000 gallons per day if the town  connects into the Greater Lawrence Sewer District (GLSD) via Andover.

O’Leary pointed out that Andover owns the sewer pipe that runs through Lawrence and therefore does not need to seek permission of Lawrence to add to the flow through its pipe to the GLSD whereas the town has been informed by the MWRA that it does not have an ability to increase that flow limit. “There is no plan for expansion in the next five to 20 years anywhere in the Commonwealth” for MWRA sewage flows, he said.

Both the MWRA and Andover have been adamant that the town must be a water customer in order to become a future wastewater customer.

Selectman Andrew Schultz said he believes the “most desirable” area in town for which to provide sewerage “is Concord Street” because of its economic development potential which would help increase the town’s tax base. He also sees the MWRA as a more stable water source for the town’s permanent water needs and he believes the Quabbin Reservoir is both a “cleaner” and “more modern” water source than the Merrimack River.

Clark said both water sources “must meet federal drinking water standards” and that both offer “very high equality water.” Clark added he would never recommend the town obtain water from Andover “if I thought it was inferior.”

Selectwoman Kathryn Manupelli said that she has been “pretty vocal” in her opinion that the best option for the town would be “moving forward with MWRA” as the town approvals are in place. “It is a better decision for the town to a part of it,” she said.

Selectmen Chairman Michael Prisco said the sewerage option available with the GLSD offers a “phased in approach” and added that “for first time ever we truly have a path for sewerage” if they decided to go with Andover.

After having attended Andover’s April 4 Special Town Meeting Prisco said, “I was very happy to see how educated” Andover voters became on the issues at stake in comparison to the discourse that had taken place during the January Special Town Meeting. “They fully grasped and understood how valuable North Reading was as a customer,” he said.