Water Department hopes connection will allow more recharge in Echo Lake

An interconnection agreement reached with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Town of Bellingham earlier this year will not increase residential water rates, according to the Milford Water Department.

After months of work, the Water Department filed a water supply emergency declaration with MassDEP in January to activate a connection with Bellingham’s Water Division. A letter sent by the state agency cited low recharge of Echo Lake and inactivation of sources treated at the Godfrey Brook Treatment Plant due to PFAS contamination in its approval https://www.milfordwater.com/download/public_files/Emergency-Declaration-Bellingham-Interconnect.pdf .

These conditions “have compromised Milford Water Department’s ability to maintain a continuous supply of water to meet its demand.”

Water Department general manager David Condrey explained that the interconnection with Bellingham followed a severe drought last year. While he said last year “started okay,” lack of recharge into Echo Lake and a source going offline due to PFAS exacerbated problems. The town moved into a Stage 3 and then Stage 4 drought as a result.

“We ended up reaching out to [MassDEP] to see if we could actually activate an interconnect … to kind of supplement so we can actually take the lake source offline,” said Condrey.

The agreement with Bellingham extends until August. Condrey noted some improvements in the reservoir but it is not at a level his department would like to see at this time of year.

As far as the cost of the interconnection, Condrey explained that Bellingham will charge Milford a fee for every 1,000 gallons used. He said the charge is “a significant added cost” to his department, but no residential water rates will be impacted by the agreement.

“We had it within the [operations and maintenance] budget,” said Condrey.

The Water Department is limited on how it can manage the town’s water needs beyond this agreement and prioritizing recharge in Echo Lake. He noted there is ongoing work to implement a filtration system at Godfrey to get it back online.

He also said adding additional sources without significant changes in growth is difficult, and the Charles River Basin already is a stressed water resource.

Condrey briefly discussed the impact of commercial water use on the town’s water supply. When asked about plans for a new car wash planned for 146 South Main Street https://wbjournal.com/article/prestige-car-wash-owners-buy-milford-plaza-plan-car-wash/ he noted that he was not yet sure what its water system would look like. However, he explained that newer car washes sometimes install recycle tanks to reuse water rather than pulling new water from their available water source. Condrey also noted there is one car wash in Milford that supplements the water it uses from the town with its own well.