The Water & Sewer Advisory Board on Wednesday heard from Department of Public Works Director Kerry Reed about ongoing projects and financial needs that will be presented at Special Town Meeting on Oct. 26.

Reed noted that an M36 audit recently was completed. It was funded through a state grant.

“There was no smoking gun,” she explained. “There are a lot of little things we can do.”

One suggestion was replacing water meters more often, including the DPW’s master meters. On a positive note, surveyors praised the DPW’s annual leak detection program, Reed said.

WSAB chair Paul Gallagher said the DPW’s ongoing water main replacement project will help diminish water leakage from aging pipes.

“We stopped chasing leaks,” said Reed. “Now we’re just doing asset management, replacing the old stuff.”

She added that leaks in service lines, which run between the water main and a home’s water meter, are “the biggest problem” because it is hard to detect leakage from them.

“That’s one more reason to say yes to those projects,” said Gallagher.

Software issue leads to billing delay

Reed told the committee that there has been an issue with integrating new software uploaded in May that remotely reads recently replaced meters with the accounting system. While the meters are more efficient, the communication between programs has led to billing delays.

“The integration of the software system is taking a lot more of an effort than we anticipated,” she said. “The biggest driver was the way these two programs don’t talk to each other.”

Reed added that the DPW is hiring a consultant to address the issue. Also, the M36 audit recommended a billing system audit.

She pointed out that she wanted to replace meters on a staggered timeline so they don’t all have issues simultaneously with age. Because the software has not been fully integrated, billing cycles may be different until the programs are in sync. Another problem is aging meters.

These issues have led Reed to look at a “more holistic change” for meters, which could take about three years. It would be a capital project that will need to receive Town Meeting approval.

The new meters and software integration will help the town as it pursues a connection to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority system.

MWRA connection progress reported

In order to join the MWRA system, the town needs to connect with Southborough’s water system. Representatives from both towns have been hammering out the details for an intermunicipal agreement over the past two years and met recently.

Reed said Southborough’s Select Board  has decided to hire “special legal counsel” to review the draft of terms on its side. Then the document will be forwarded to Hopkinton for its approval.

On the technical side, Reed said that engineering firm Pare Corporation has prepared a water alternatives analysis for the state’s Water Resources Commission. The WRC must approve of Hopkinton’s proposed connection plan before it moves forward to the MWRA.

The WRC questioned whether Hopkinton has been working with other towns. Reed noted that the town finalized a one-year contract extension so it can continue to receive water from Ashland in addition to working with Southborough.

“They’re really making sure that we exhausted every single possible alternative,” Reed said. “I think we provided plenty of alternatives and showed that we really analyzed it.”

She added that the WRC’s focus is solely on protecting water resources. But the state’s broader goal is increasing housing production and ensuring that there is the infrastructure to support residents’ needs.

“Do they have a bias between economic development and water quality?” pondered member Donald Sutherland.

Southborough decisions stall Hopkinton’s efforts

On a related note, Pare has nearly completed its 50% design proposal for the MWRA connection and will submit an environmental notification form to the state to start the permitting process. This will trigger the plan’s review by the WRC, which must approve an interbasin transfer.

Now that the town has purchased the Carbone’s Restaurant property for a pump station, the site can be incorporated into the design, Reed said.

The culvert there and the gas line pose challenges, as well as the narrow roadway that leads to state-owned land, she noted. The main that needs to be installed may have to be directionally drilled under the culvert or under the Hopkinton Reservoir.

Reed said she and Pare are “pretty confident” about the 50% design plan. But the slowing of the IMA process will delay Southborough’s input on the design plan.

She explained that the IMA allows Southborough to conduct a peer review of the 50% design plan. But Southborough will not do that until the IMA is signed. Involving special counsel in that process slows the timeline and will stall Hopkinton’s project momentum.

Well 6 equipment replacement needed

Reed told members that the granulated activated carbon in the filtration system for Well 6, the town’s main well, has been replaced.

“It’s the resin that we have to change out sooner than we thought,” she added.

Reed noted that it is “challenging” to build this expense into the annual budget because it is needs replacement every 18 months. Support from the WRC and the Select Board has helped the public understand the need for more financial support for the DPW.

“The PFAS temporary treatment system has certainly been costing more and been more challenging than we anticipated,” she added.

STM will include DPW requests

Reed explained that there will be DPW capital requests on the warrant for the Oct. 26 STM because of unexpected financial fluctuations that affect the fiscal year budgets for 2026 and 2027.

She said there were two debt payments for water and sewer in the FY 26 budget “that weren’t accounted for correctly.” They related to 2013 projects that were funded through debt service.

“This is purely paying back old debt and a miscommunication between the bank and the Finance Department,” stressed Reed.

There also will be a supplemental funding request from the FY 27 budget. The emergency water main replacement at Claflin Place cost $102,500, according to Reed.

A second supplemental funding request is needed for a fine screen replacement at the wastewater treatment plan. Reed said one of the two filtration screens is failing. The replacement costs are more than anticipated. The second screen previously failed, leaving the DPW without a backup.

Reed said the replacement should be delivered in about six months.

Drought status updated

Reed shared that on Aug. 9, Hopkinton’s drought status was lowered from critical to significant. Current town water restrictions still are in place.

Gallagher noted that water consumption has been “trending down” because of increased public awareness and outreach.