Meredith selectmen address water capacity

As the Board of Selectmen put the problems that caused the water treatment plant to malfunction in June behind them, they have turned to addressing the remaining capacity and future expansion of the system. In particular, the board has approved a draft ordinance for allocating the available spare capacity and accepting new connections and begun preparing for the expansion and upgrade of the system.

Concerns about the capacity of the treatment to accommodate future growth first arose in 2001 and 2002 when maximum daily demand, the highest daily output of treated or finished water, of 934,000 gallons and 899,000 gallons were recorded. Ray Korber of KV Partners, consultant to the Water Department, explained that the capacity of water treatment plants is matched to the maximum daily demand.

Operating at full-tilt, the treatment plant has a capacity of 900,000 gallons per day, though the so-called "threshold" output is 810,000 gallons. The current ordinance defines spare capacity as "the difference between 90-percent of the rated capacity of the water treatment plant (810,000 gallons per day) and the highest recorded daily water treatment plant flow (maximum daily demand) for the two most recent complete calendar years on record."

The town commissioned a report by SEA Consultants of Cambridge, Mass. — Korber previous employer, which was completed in 2005, and adopted a Water System Management Plan in 2005. The report noted that the capacity of the treatment plant was 30,000 gallons short of the maximum daily demand recorded in 2001 and 320,000 gallons short of the maximum daily demand projected for 2014. The plan recommended a series of measures to reduce maximum daily demand and increase available spare capacity by conserving water and boosting efficiency. Town Manager Carol Granfield recalled the success of these measures when the Selectboard met this week.

"Blow offs" at dead ends in the system, which were being regularly flushed to ensure moving water, were eliminated, reducing demand by an estimated 20-percent. A program of detecting and fixing leaks was begun to save another 10-percent of unaccounted for water. Meters are being calibrated and replaced to ensure accurate readings. Repairs and improvements have been made to the distribution system, some still underway as part of the $2.5-million "bundle project," which includes the replacement of 5,100-feet of water and sewer mains. An education program was launched to advise homeowners and businesses how they could conserve water.

Last year the rate structure was overhauled and charges raised for the first time since 1991 to encourage conservation efforts and position the water fund to undertake future capital projects. A quarterly service fee was introduced and users began paying for every gallon consumed under a two-tiered schedule, which charged nearly twice as much for water used from May 1 through October 31 as for water used from November 1 through April 30. The annual bills were projected to climb between 47-percent and 57-percent.

Altogether these measures have reduced maximum day demand to less than 670,000 gallons, or by almost 30-percent, while the number of connections to the system rose by 14-percent to serve nearly half of all town residents.

Average daily demand, which topped 390,000 gallons in 2001 and 380,000 gallons in 2002 has also dropped to an average of slightly more than 343,000 gallons during the past four years.

SEA also recommended planning for the expansion of the water treatment plant, both to meet projected increases in demand and higher standards of drinking water quality, which are expected to be introduced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency by 2013. Likewise, the report recommended preparing for construction of a second storage tank, to compliment the one on Ladd Hill.

Korber told the Selectboard this week that although the system remained at "a tipping point," it would serve projected demand for another three years before an expansion and upgrade of the treatment plant, along with the second storage tank, would become necessary.

Meanwhile, Korber calculated the available capacity at 141,000 gallons.

The current ordinance allocates remaining capacity on a first come, first served basis. In June, the Selectboard issued a declaration prohibiting new connections to projects with maximum daily demand exceeding ten-percent of available capacity.

The draft ordinance now under consideration abandons the first come, first served approach by setting an order of priority for allocating available capacity and granting new connections, beginning with outstanding building permits, followed by parcels within the existing service area and new subdivisions and site developments. All new subdivisions and site developments will undergo a demand analysis, which will calculate the maximum daily demand of the project by multiplying its average daily demand by a "peaking factor" of 2.5. The "peaking factor" represents the ratio of the maximum day demand to the average day demand for the entire system, which has fallen steadily with the success of demand management measures. The maximum daily demand is then benchmarked against the available spare capacity "to determine if a water system extension or connection is acceptable, as determined by the Water Department."

Korber explained that the goal of the policy is to ensure the performance of the water system, with maintaining service to existing customers foremost, while providing an equitable and transparent process for allocating available capacity to new users. A public hearing on the new ordinance language will be held next month.

Meanwhile, the Selectboard is preparing for the expansion of the treatment plant by pursuing the acquisition of a half-acre parcel adjacent to the facility.

After considering several sites, SEA recommended that the town acquire a half-acre parcel adjacent to the water treatment plant carved from the southern end of a 5.91-acre lot, which the Gerrity Company leases to Wickes Lumber Yard.

In 2006 Town Meeting authorized the Selectmen to purchase the property and, failing that, acquire it by eminent domain. Town officials have negotiated with the representatives of the Gerrity Company for the past year without reaching agreement. Last month the Selectboard scheduled a public hearing for September 17 to initiate eminent proceedings, but postponed it until November 5 at the request of the Gerrity Company.