Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

Infiltration monitoring on Hayden Rowe Street linked to Charleswood project

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

The Department of Public Works is taking steps to address issues it has identified with stormwater infiltration into the town’s sewer systems.

During the most recent Elementary School Building Committee meeting on Tuesday, the group discussed the issue at length. It was considering a request by the DPW to fund a sewer capacity engineering study looking at the area serviced by the Hayden Rowe pump station.

ESBC chair Jon Graziano noted during the meeting that the DPW identified issues with stormwater that are impacting capacity. The infiltration into the town’s sewer system indicates “something is not performing correctly,” according to Graziano.

Water-Sewer manager Jed Fenneuff explained to the Independent that infiltration is the result of degradation of parts of the sewer system at the surface level — in particular, manhole covers. The wearing away of grouting between bricks and other material allows water to get into the system.

“Surface-level water can make it into the manholes, which then goes into the sewer system,” Fenneuff summarized. This, in turn, overwhelms the pump stations.

“We’re having an issue with that,” he said.

Fenneuff noted that the issue was not constrained to Hayden Rowe Street, nor is it unique to Hopkinton. “The older the system is, the worse the problem is,” he said. “We’re always dealing with it on some level.”

Part of the DPW’s efforts to counter and resolve the infiltration issue are new, “smart” manhole covers. According to Fenneuff, these have ultrasonic level sensors that allow the department to collect flow and level data to identify capacity. The DPW recently installed two of these on Hayden Rowe Street and another on Theresa Road.

“This way, we can kind of get an idea of where we think the infiltration is coming from,” Fenneuff said. He added that the sensors placed on Hayden Rowe Street are intended to capture data for use as part of the Charleswood School project. Some of the manholes on the street will be rebuilt as part of the project to help with infiltration.

Fenneuff added that monitoring the town’s sewers and pumps is a continuous effort and that the DPW is attempting to be proactive about the issues affecting the system.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

Latest News

A man was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly crashing a stolen vehicle into a fence along Loop Road.

The Elementary School Building Committee on Tuesday approved a partial funding request for sewer capacity engineering studies related to the Charleswood School project.

A balanced budget, a revision to the town’s MBTA Communities zoning and e-bike speed limits on shared use paths are some of the major articles on the Annual Town Meeting warrant.

This week’s Police Log features reports of a suspicious drone, trucks doing burnouts in a South Street parking lot and a fire in the woods near Lyford Road.

The latest Arts Residency highlights Nancy Burdick, who is an active member in the Marathon Quilters Guild and took to the art form after moving to Hopkinton.

Ann DeLuise, 91, passed away April 21. She grew up on Terry Farm in Hopkinton.

This week’s Senior Snippets features information on a driver safety course, listening hours with the town’s land use director and a shelf sitter crafting project.

Town meetings tonight include the Charter Review Committee (7), Historic District Commission (7) and Community Preservation Committee (7).

Photo of the Day

Representatives from the Knights of Columbus Bishop Rice Council pose with individuals at the Michael Lisnow Respite Center after making a $1,400 donation with money raised from a Hoops Mania charity program.