Scituate Explores New Water Sources, Tackles Rising Infrastructure Costs
Town officials grapple with supply challenges, consider phased approaches to manage expenses
SCITUATE - January 7 - Scituate is actively searching for new water sources while facing significant challenges in its water infrastructure projects. A professional geologist has been hired to investigate potential new water supplies in the area, but many sites have proven unsuitable due to geological factors or insufficient water-bearing capacity.
The Scituate Select Board met with the Department of Public Works on their budget and various infrastructure needs. Peter Dillon, a professional geologist with TetraTech, reported on his findings to the town's Select Board.
The exploration process involves using a geoprobe rig, which vibrates into the ground to assess water-bearing potential. "If you hit like a dense till or bedrock, it stops. But that basically is telling me that there really isn't anything there," Dillon explained.
The search has been narrowed down to five sites that met initial criteria, with two already investigated. However, the results have been disappointing. At one site, Dillon reported, "We probably did, what, probably like 20 attempts, and almost no place got deeper than seven feet."
Town officials are also grappling with escalating costs for water infrastructure projects. A water main replacement project that was initially estimated at $6 million has now increased to over $9 million.
Jim Boudreau, town administrator, outlined the financial challenges. Scituate has a lot of large water projects borrowed, and its burdening the ability to pay from rates.
To manage these rising costs, officials are considering phased approaches to projects. "Maybe we could do some of the main and stop piecing sections of it off as we go," suggested Kevin Cafferty, DPW Director.
Boudreau proposed a strategy for the Humarock water main project: "We'll give you $3 million instead of doing $3 million all up in Scituate proper. We do a million down at Humarock and replace a million, and then the next year we do another million."
The town is also implementing innovative water conservation measures. Scituate's water rebate program has seen significant participation since its inception. The program has issued 93 washer rebates, 68 dishwasher rebates, and 99 toilet rebates.
"We love it. The only thing we can do is save water. You know how precious water is, and we just went over with Peter how hard it is to find water," Cafferty said, emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts.
The rebate program is showing promising results in water conservation. Jim Boudreau noted, "From 2010 to 2015, the town averaged 591 million gallons of water a year. Since 2016, we're averaging 488 million gallons of water."
This reduction in water usage comes despite an increase in the number of users, highlighting the effectiveness of the town's conservation efforts.
The town is also addressing infrastructure issues beyond water supply. The Department of Public Works reported on efforts to replace street lights, particularly LED lights that have been failing prematurely. "We've been having a huge problem with street light failure, especially with these LED lights," Cafferty explained.