The Water & Sewer Advisory Board on Wednesday heard an alternatives analysis for the town’s proposed connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, including a “blended” solution that would use MWRA and Ashland water.

Engineer Tim Thies from Pare Corporation, the town’s consulting firm, gave a presentation on the town’s four options. He first explained that, as part of the application process to connect to the MWRA system, the town must submit a MEPA filing through the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office. This is a mandatory environmental review process for projects requiring state agency actions that exceed specific thresholds.

Also, the state’s Water Resources Commission must approve an interbasin water transfer request to allow movement of water from the Quabbin Reservoir to Hopkinton, he said.

“This is really a pretty critical and fundamental piece of this project,” Thies emphasized. “Without this interbasin transfer, we can’t move the water.”

He added that the WRC “wants to make sure that we really have explored all options” for alternatives that would “minimize that interbasin transfer” and show “the best and most technically feasible alternative.”

Town options considered least effective

The first option of doing nothing was the least viable of the four alternatives, Thies said.

On March 9, the town entered into a critical drought status. The Department of Public Works banned all outdoor, nonessential water use for all customers connected to the municipal water system.

The second option would be to maximize the town’s water supply, Thies said. This would include installing additional wells “in areas that the town has explored in the past.”

“This means squeezing every drop of water we can out of the town’s current resources and potential future resources within the town boundary,” he continued.

But all of the town’s wells except for Wells 7 and 8 are in an area of Hopkinton with “the most stressed basin category in the state.”  These are the two least productive wells.

Thies described this as “the least environmentally sound” option because it would add additional stress to Hopkinton’s tapped-out water basins.

A stark example he gave was that new well installation likely would cause Whitehall Brook “to dry up in the summertime.”

“Water quality has been this underlying issue in town for a very long time,” Thies said. “So to maximize the town’s supply, you would have to build probably no fewer than three treatment plants.” This would cost approximately $75 million.

MWRA connection provides ‘wholesale change’

The third option would be to connect to the MWRA system via an intermunicipal agreement with Southborough. This would eliminate groundwater withdrawals. It would require an interbasin transfer, as well as upgrades to the Hopkinton and Southborough systems. This proposal would cost less than maximizing the town’s water supply.

“But it does make us reliant on a single source,” Thies stressed.

The fourth option, which Thies said likely would be the most acceptable one to the WRC, would be a “blended” option. Hopkinton would buy some of its water from the MWRA and receive the rest through the Ashland water treatment plant, which the town currently uses.

Added Thies: “This one has a lot of positive benefits environmentally.”

Well use would be discontinued, and the need for an interbasin transfer would be less. Wetland impacts would be reduced.

The WRC considers several factors, including the environmental soundness, technical feasibility and economic viability of each option, in its decision-making process, he explained. This ensures that there would be no adverse effects to the river basins or their ecological systems.

Select Board member Matthew Kizner pointed out that the intermunicipal agreement with Ashland is set to expire in 2027.

“Ashland has its own water constraints,” he said. “Has your analysis considered or baked in that Ashland is under absolutely no obligation to sign a new IMA with us?”

Thies said this option assumes that Ashland will continue to hold an IMA with Hopkinton.

Said Kizner: “That’s an absolutely reckless assumption.”

“Every indication from my conversations with their DPW director is that they are willing to extend it,” said DPW director Kerry Reed.

Chair Paul Gallagher said the alternatives analysis is a “quantum leap forward” from where the town was about 18 months ago.

Thies said he will submit the alternatives analysis to the WRC for feedback.

Water/sewer enterprise fund proposal reviewed

Kyla LaPierre, the town’s chief financial officer, explained the reasoning behind having a water and sewer enterprise fund with a minimum baseline amount to withdraw from in emergencies.

“This isn’t meant to be difficult or challenging,” she assured the group.

She said she put forward a financial policy for the town’s water and sewer needs “because we don’t have one.”

“The rest of the town has a financial policy that states we will keep 5% of the operating budget in either stabilization and/or free cash year over year,” LaPierre noted. “We should have a financial policy governing water and sewer.”

A minimum amount in the fund  ensures “we never go negative,” preventing financial emergencies.

Earlier discussions of a draft policy revolved around using percentages of the capital and operating budgets. LaPierre said the means are “up for discussion.”

The lack of a policy for the water and sewer enterprise fund proved problematic. It led to a re-vote of four Town Meeting articles that had been approved in 2024 without enough money to fund them.

The Department of Revenue advised the town that it could not proceed with the projects “because all of them were wrapped under the same umbrella.”

“We had to wait an entire fiscal year, go back to Town Meeting, tell them that we never acted on their approval and the reason why, and then put those four articles back up for approval based on the current retained earnings,” LaPierre said.

Stressed LaPierre: “We actually lost an entire fiscal year because we couldn’t do any capital projects.”

Kizner added that the financial forecast gives the town “a phased approach” to build up “a healthy minimum threshold” that aligns with expenses. He compared it to a piggy bank.

He added that the town “shouldn’t see a significant change” in the rates due to this minimum amount.

The rate study, LaPierre explained, is built by analyzing 30 years of financial data from Hopkinton and Westborough, including five-year rate projections.

Two years ago, LaPierre noted that it was “extremely difficult” to get the 40% rate increase approved. This policy should “take the politics out of it.”

Money over the minimum threshold would be used to fund water and sewer capital projects.

Board members expressed support for the proposed policy after hearing LaPierre’s and Kizner’s analyses.