Flushing of water lines underway across town
By Melissa Fales
Reporter
WARE – DPW Director Thomas Martens was at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Water/Sewer Commissioners to update them on the town’s systems. Martens said it would take time, but that progress was being made as various water and sewer concerns were being addressed. “A lot of things have been put off for a long time,” he said.
Martens asked for residents to help the town by keeping catch basins clear of leaves and debris to prevent erosion and other problems. He also said that barring any unforeseen problems, he is not anticipating any increase in water/sewer rates for next year.
According to Martens, the town’s wastewater influent pumps need work. Only two out of the three pumps are working. Martens said the town typically runs one, but two are needed for high-flow conditions. “We don’t have a back-up right now,” he said. The town recently spent $50,000 to upgrade the wet side of the pumps, now the motors, drives and control systems need to be replaced. Martens said the bids received for the work exceeded the town’s budget for the project. He said he is working to reconfigure the project to get it done more cheaply. “It’s a critical situation and I’m doing everything I can to get it going,” Martens said.
The town is awaiting word on its MassWorks Grant application. If approved, the state will award $2.5 million towards upgrades to the town’s wastewater plant, supplementing the $1 million the town and Kanzaki Specialty Papers will each put towards the project. The state is due to announce the winners next week.
“We’re hoping for some good news,” said Martens,
Martens said the town has cleaned out one of two aeration tanks in anticipation of using it again. He said the tank has been out of commission for many years, but since the other basin needs to be cleaned out, operations will switch to the second tank.
The town’s septage receiving station is experiencing problems with a broken valve and non-functioning electrical components. Martens said he expected work to repair the station to begin this week.
Martens told the commissioners about a recent break in the sewer main on West Street near Phillips Plaza. He said during the repair process workers found a buried manhole that contained approximately two feet of sludge. Martens said he didn’t know how long the manhole had been buried, but it is now cleaned out and exposed. The break was repaired, but Martens warned that the six inch line there is too small to handle the flow. He said he will look into expanding the sewer main there in order to allow for more capacity.
According to Martens, there was a significant amount of grease in that line. He will be reviewing the town’s policies regarding grease traps as well as determining which businesses currently have grease traps and whether or not they are regularly inspected and cleaned.
Martens said the town is preparing to raise the well heads at three town wells as required by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Regarding drinking water, Martens acknowledged that there are issues. “We have a huge water quality problem in town,” he said. To help address the problem, the Water Department is in the process of flushing the system. Martens said this is the first year the town has flushed twice. “It will help us get ahead, but it’s only part of the solution,” he said.
Commissioner John E. Carroll asked if there was any way to let residents know where the flushing will take place each day. Martens said the flushing locations could be posted on the town’s website, but warned that the system is unpredictable and flushing affects different areas. “We’re flushing on Upper Church Street and getting complaints from lower West Street,” he said.
Martens said he is also trying to address the levels of iron and manganese in the source water. A consultant is working on determining the best chemical process, but Martens said it’s difficult to find the proper balance. While the cistern seems to be the biggest culprit for the iron and manganese, it would cost approximately $250,000 to take it off the system. The town is having a hydraulic model completed which will help the town optimize the flushing program and plan for future upgrades.
According to Martens, the town’s dirty water problem is compounded by the over 10 miles of cast iron water mains which are nearly 100 years old and corroded.
Martens invited residents to call his office with any questions they may have about the town’s water and sewer systems. He said he wanted residents to know that he was working on resolving the water quality issues. “I recognize how frustrating it is,” said Martens. “I appreciate people’s patience.”
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