Technical Glitch Sparks $42,000 Water Bill Shock as Duxbury Selectboard Confronts Meter Errors, PFAS, and Powder Point Bridge Delay
DUXBURY - July 20, 2026 - The Duxbury Selectboard confronted a staggering $42,239 municipal water bill levied against a local resident due to a multi-decade meter tracking error during its Monday evening session. The meeting also featured heated public debate over the delayed Powder Point Bridge rehabilitation decisions, new townwide enforcement guidelines for e-bikes, and crucial municipal water updates including mandatory PFAS notifications and ongoing outdoor irrigation restrictions.
The Full Story
Municipal administrative errors took center stage when the board, convening as Water and Sewer Commissioners, reviewed an astronomical $42,239.88 water bill issued to West Street homeowner Nigel Bird. Water and Sewer Superintendent Mark Cloud explained that following an investigation, town staff discovered the home’s original meter reading had recorded incorrectly and dropped to zero years ago following radio replacements, inadvertently tallying 22 years of cumulative town water usage onto a single recent bill. Bird detailed his five-week ordeal performing forensic accounting across two decades of land records to prove he had not consumed 4 million gallons of water—equivalent to filling 200 swimming pool. The board unanimously granted an abatement reducing his balance to $892.02.
“If you’re going to give somebody a $43,000 bill, you’ve got to be damn sure that they used that water in all the history... It turns out it was ultimately a town problem.” [01:07:08] — Nigel Bird, Resident
A second abatement request on Bay Road involving 451,000 gallons of unaccounted water usage was tabled for further data collection after homeowner Rebecca Marani presented quarterly bills showing usage spiked drastically prior to a meter replacement in December 2025 and immediately normalized thereafter. Board members expressed concern over recurring townwide meter and radio malfunctions, prompting plans for a comprehensive departmental review with DPW leadership.
Public comment opened with sharp exchanges regarding the future of the Powder Point Bridge. Resident Alicia Babcock challenged the Selectboard’s timeline, calling for immediate action to file a Section 106 historical preservation review and support community efforts against MassDOT’s demolition and replacement proposal. Town Manager René Read clarified that a scheduled advisory recommendation was postponed pending a formal response from MassDOT addressing nine specific technical and financial inquiries submitted by the town. Resident Dick Brennan countered that the board should take all necessary time to evaluate the long-term financial consequences for taxpayers.
