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Norwood Testing Inactive Water Wells to See If Reviving Them Would Save Cash

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

The Patriot Ledger

NORWOOD - Water wells that have been inactive for more than 25 years may soon be reactivated to provide the town with an alternative water source.

Environmental consultants will begin a two-week pump test at Buckmaster Pond next week to determine whether reactivating the wells is possible and economically feasible, assistant town manager Bernie Cooper said. The consulting firm, Fay, Spofford & Thorndike of Boston, will also conduct water quality and environmental impact tests in order to meet state requirements. Approval of the project is two-fold, Briony Angus, an environmental analyst in the state Office of Environmental Affairs, said. The pond is on a 31-acre parcel that includes wetlands and is technically within the confines of Westwood, which means that even if tests show the water is safe for public use, with or without treatment, they must also show that potential environmental impact to the wetlands would be minimal. Any project must be approved by the Westwood Conservation Commission.

The economic feasibility of the project will be most important, Cooper said. Chemicals and minerals found in testing will determine what, if any, type of treatment plant is needed. Common minerals such as iron and manganese are expected, but heavier, naturally- occurring metals like arsenic could be more problematic depending on the levels found.

Buckmaster Pond was in use until the late 1950s, although it served as an emergency backup until 1979, when Norwood officials found it was contaminated, Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Joe Ferson said.

Environmental protection agencies were in their infancy then, so no official closure or remediation took place. The source of contamination, a dry cleaner, was removed many years ago, Cooper said. He expects the pending water quality tests to come back clean, as recent groundwater tests in nearby areas have passed regulatory requirements, he said.

Norwood relies on the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for its supply. The town uses approximately 3.14 million gallons of water per day, according to Ria Convery, a spokesperson for MWRA, and it is looking for ways to lower costs. Research done two years ago by Fay, Spofford & Thorndike estimated that reactivation of the wells and a new treatment plant could cost more than $5 million. The report estimated, however, that reactivating the wells could save the town more than $14 million, an average of $836 per household, over a 23-year period, by providing 30 percent of the town's water and supplementing the MWRA supply.

The report was withdrawn because town officials wanted to "expand" their data, according to a letter dated June 12, 2003, from the town to the secretary of environmental affairs. Pump tests will take two weeks to complete, at which point a new assessment will be sent to DEP for approval.

Source: Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass.

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