The Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee and the Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Commission met for a dual, group meeting over the Zoom video conferencing platform on May 12.
The committee and commission, consisting of members from Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester, met to tackle the meeting’s large agenda while continuing to combat the unique challenges of remote-access meetings.
In his treasurer’s report to the committee, David Pierce reported the income for the current fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2019), including the addition of $443.29 in bank interest. Pierce noted invoices to be paid totaling $13,499. After the conclusion of treasury reports, the committee voted to pay all outstanding invoices, including an invoice for Tata and Howard that amounted to $11,919 of the total payments due.
Jon Gregory provided updates to the committee regarding the purchase of a Hach-brand water-testing instrument. The meter was successfully delivered and steps to begin training with the device have begun.
“The Snow’s Pond Association has been doing online training through webinars,” said Laurell Farinon. “This particular unit has the ability to add additional probes for depth, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen.”
Gregory continued by following-up on a potential Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection grant that offers $200,000 to fund district water quality assessments. The possibility of attaining the grant, which is predicated on a strict set of conditions, was ultimately questioned by the committee. The grant is primarily distributed for water quality assessments to expand on the DEP’s existing database of water quality. “Snow’s Pond is a private pond that does not really fall into the DEP’s guidelines,” said Gregory.
Gregory also noted that the application for the grant would be costly and time-consuming. The process involves a detailed statement of the problem, a quality assurance project plan, and the inclusion of minority and women-owned business in the contracting plan. After a review of the necessary requirements, the committee concluded that the cost of application could amount to $7,000.
The potential cost of the application and no guarantee of successfully meeting the required conditions dissuaded the board members. The committee concluded that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection grant should not be pursued at this time.
“I don’t think this is the right route to go for at this time. It’s something we should investigate further next year or the year after,” said Farinon.
With the business of the grant concluded, the committee spoke on the proposed solar array projects on Featherbed Lane and Snipatuit Road in Rochester. A subcommittee working to review those plans explained that they were only extensions of past projects. With that, the conservation committees expressed satisfaction with the current proposals and the delineation of current buffer zones.
The committee voted to approve both projects provided they adhere to the stipulations set forth by the Rochester Conservation Commission.
In more light-hearted matters, the committee went on to discuss the farewell party for retiring members. The party was previously scheduled for June 18 at 6:00 pm, but after discussion, the committee decided to postpone the farewell party with no new proposed date. This decision came after Pierce advised a delay to the party due to the current COVID-19 crisis.
In a discussion with the commission, Rick Charron questioned why the signs posted around Snipatuit Pond warning about potential mercury were not also placed around ponds in the nearby area. Member Sandy Geese agreed and added that signs warning about the consumption of fish from the ponds should also be placed around the area.
Gregory provided further reports to the commission pertaining to the Tata and Howard risk and resilient assessment due to the Environmental Protection Agency in June 2021. Gregory recommended that the commission begin as soon as July in order to ensure that the workload is spread out effectively.
Member Henri Renauld submitted a report that clarified that the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Treatment Plant is running as intended. This came after a reported overflow of the plant on April 4. Renauld’s report indicates that the plant is currently being closely monitored for further problems.
The commission’s final topic of agenda dealt with the forthcoming reorganization of the group that will take place after the retirement of Chairman Pierce. Vice Chairman Vinnie Furtado will inherit the role currently held by Pierce. That change in position will leave the vice chairman role unfilled on the commission. The topic of new vice chairman will be addressed in future meetings.
The next meeting of the Water District Commission is scheduled for June 9 and will likely be held remotely over the Zoom video conferencing platform.
MRV Water Committee & Commission
By Matthew Donato