NORTHFIELD — The multi-million-dollar financial barrier of a new water filtration system at the East Northfield Water Co. dam is delaying the town’s effort to move forward with a new Grandin Water District, according to Selectboard Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque.
The Selectboard created an ad hoc committee in 2019 to explore possible solutions to rising water rates being proposed by the East Northfield Water Co., a private entity that had petitioned for an approximately 150% rate increase at the time to cover $900,000 in losses. An Annual Town Meeting vote in May 2022 subsequently approved the creation of the Grandin Water District in an effort to transition water services to a nonprofit that would have better access to low-cost grants and loans.
After meeting with Kristen Elechko, who serves as western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, as well as state Sen. Jo Comerford and water service officials, Jacque recently told her fellow Selectboard members that the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is requiring the East Northfield Water Co. to invest in a new filtration system, the cost of which could exceed $10 million, to make the transition.
“What the sticking point is is the filtration on the reservoir for the East Northfield Water Co.,” Jacque said. “What Sen. Comerford and Kristen Elechko have volunteered to do is get some help and attention from MassDEP on that situation because it’s so expensive, Grandin Water District is unable to accept all the assets because of all the liabilities that go with it.”
In an interview, Jacque mentioned that MassDEP has implemented more strict water filtration requirements for outdoor and open-space reservoirs. She added that unless costs can be lowered to $1 million to $2 million, the cost of a water filtration system would cause a significant increase in fees for the town’s water customers.
Jacque, in the Sept. 9 Selectboard meeting, explained the East Northfield Water Co. is in a catch-22 situation in which it cannot transition to the Grandin Water District until it replaces its filtration system — a task that the company cannot afford without grant funding, which would only be available to the nonprofit district.
“Because they’re private, they can’t go after [United States Department of Agriculture] funding and things like that, which is why we were trying to move it to Grandin,” she explained. “It comes back to the filtration thing. They can’t move a darn thing, including going after new grants, until we get rid of the filtration piece.”
Donald Glascoff Jr. of the East Northfield Water Co. said in an interview on Thursday that the company has been trying to find a more affordable water filtration system that would still align with MassDEP’s requirements. He said the company has been able to get the cost estimate down to $5 million.
“We have some leads. There are small — but we hope effective — filtration systems. We are working with our engineering consultants to evaluate them and to engineer them. One of the key factors is whether or not we would be required to build a new building to house the filtration system, or whether we could fit the filtration system into our existing treatment building on our dam at our reservoir,” Glascoff said. “We’re focusing on that latter possibility. We think it may be feasible and that’s what the engineers are now working on.”
Comerford, in an interview on Wednesday, said MassDEP’s filtration requirements arose due to the results of a study that the Tighe & Bond engineering firm conducted at the East Northfield Water Co. The study found substandard water quality levels from the reservoir.
“What’s really important is that the drinking water hasn’t failed the test; it’s the source water. And so, the East Northfield Water Co. is looking at using the current plant to install a filtration system and and it’s not necessarily jiving exactly with what DEP thinks is doable. That’s why we’re bringing DEP to the table,” Comerford said. “DEP has to understand that our communities need to right-size the solutions. … We’re hoping for a conversation in Northfield to look at the Tighe & Bond study and to look at the range of options that Northfield has.”
Comerford also expressed “deep admiration” for Northfield’s municipal leadership, citing the extensive work put into the transition, as well as other large-scale municipal projects.
“I have nothing but deep admiration for Northfield leadership. This is hard work, and they’re tackling a number of major municipal issues all at once and making significant headway,” she said. “It’s really just about Northfield wanting to continue to be a responsible steward and wanting to find a path forward for their residents.”
