The Water & Sewer Advisory Board on Wednesday heard from a consultant about the rationale behind the town’s proposed connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water system and expressed some skepticism about whether local alternatives were considered.

Timothy Thies, the senior vice president and environmental division manager at Pare Corporation, has been working on this project since 2021. He gave a presentation outlining the history of the proposed connection and the steps needed to be taken for it to be approved by the MWRA.

Thies explained that the town has been seeking a permanent MWRA connection via Southborough. He noted that the town has been challenged by water quality and quantity issues that the connection would alleviate.

While Hopkinton relies on eight wells for its public water supply, he said only five are online. While some wells have shown “excessively high iron and manganese connections,” Well 6 had to have a PFAS treatment system installed to decrease the levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The town also purchases some of its water from Ashland.

“The system is severely restricted in the summertime,” Thies said, “particularly in times of drought.”

Steps to achieve MWRA connection outlined

Both Hopkinton and Southborough need to improve their infrastructure in order to achieve the connection, he explained. Hopkinton needs a new meter vault on Route 85 near the town line as well as a new pump station that can accommodate 2.7 million gallons per day (MGD). In addition, 15,600 feet of new water main will need to be installed.

Southborough must improve two of its pump stations, build a 1 MGD elevated water storage tank, add 4,800 feet of new 12-inch water main piping through the town, build a new booster pump station and add a new pressure-reducing valve to its Boston Street facility.

Thies showed a “permitting matrix” that the town must complete. The first hurdle to clear is obtaining a certificate from the state’s Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office. The four-step process includes completion of an environmental justice screening, an environmental notification form (ENF), and a draft and final environmental impact report (EIR). The EIR is the same as the MEPA filing, Thies said, and is done at the 30% design phase of the project. It is also “more or less” the state’s Water Resources Commission (WRC) application for interbasin transfer requests.

The biggest hurdle Hopkinton would need to clear is proving the need for the MWRA connection to the WRC. Any project that conveys more than a million gallons per day from one water basin to another needs WRC approval, Thies said.

Local approval would have to come from the Hopkinton and Southborough Conservation Commissions during the latter stages of the process, he added.

MassDEP would need to issue a waterways permit as well as a drinking water permit, Thies explained. Other approvals must come from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and MEPA before the application can proceed to the MWRA.

Some work completed

“This project started with a very comprehensive hydraulic analysis to make sure that this project was technically viable,” Thies explained, adding that a supply alternatives analysis was done.

All project design elements are at the 30% completion stage. The one exception is the Hopkinton pump station because a site has not yet been determined. Site alternatives have been reviewed.

Thies added that there have been introductory meetings with WRC, MEPA and MWRA staff.

A demand forecast was performed to determine how much water to request from the MWRA. This is where the 2.7 MGD figure originated. Thies said this figure projected needs for 20-30 years down the road and took Southborough’s needs into consideration. An intermunicipal agreement (IMA) needs to be finalized with Southborough.

WSAB members question process

WSAB member Don Sutherland questioned how the 2.7 MGD figure was obtained, noting that it “seems extremely excessive.” Thies explained that Pare was “looking very long term.” He explained that while 40% of the town uses private wells, including major housing developments, they may encounter problems and want to connect to the MWRA. Also, businesses will be attracted to a community with a stable water source. He also noted that the number accommodates the increased summertime demand for both communities.

“If we take just one drop of water from Southborough, we have to put that 15,000 feet of piping in Hopkinton,” he stressed. “We still need a bridge crossing, and we still need a pump station. And we still need to make improvements to Southborough’s two stations.”

Thies said Hopkinton should look at itself “as a customer of Southborough” via the MWRA. This adds a significant demand on its tanks.

Member Rob Scott asked about the town continuing to purchase water from Ashland and potential upgrades that can be made there. Department of Public Works Director Kerry Reed explained that the Ashland water comes directly from the plant with no direct connection to Hopkinton.

A “blended approach,” Thies said, may lead to pipe corrosion and potentially increased levels of lead and copper.

Sutherland noted that the water quality and quantity has “drastically dropped in the last few years.” This created an “urgency factor” to resolving the water supply issue.

Thies explained that another consultant had been involved in the project beforehand and studied Hopkinton’s wells. That consultant recommended a “huge amount” to improve the wells but said there still would be capacity issues.

Scott asked “what kind of shape” the town was in to navigate this process.

“Hopkinton has very legitimate reasons to go to the MWRA,” said Thies.

Ken Weismantel, a WRC member for 10 years and a harsh critic of the MWRA connection plan, explained that steps needed for WRC approval haven’t been undertaken. At 2.7 MGD, he said the WRC will consider the proposal “dead on arrival.”

“You have to use every viable in-basin source,” he said. “Ashland [water] is a viable in-basin source.”

Weismantel added that Pare needs to do a more thorough analysis of the town’s wells than the previous consultant did. He also said that the Pratt Farm land and the Fruit Street wells have not been explored.

He stressed that the town needs to upgrade its meter system to analyze leaks to demonstrate water conservation efforts to the WRC.

Reed said the Select Board mandated that she submit a level-funded budget for FY 26, which prevented funding for new meters.

Scott noted that the town is “currently in a water crisis.”

Countered Weismantel: “There has been no declaration of a water emergency by the MWRA.”

“There’s plenty of water, with treatment,” he added. “You’re going to have a hard time making a case.”