Focus On Weston has been asked several questions in response to the piece that was mailed on April 12th regarding our recommendation to vote against Article 27 and Article 28 which will be in front of voters at the Town Meeting on May 9th. (For background, that piece can be viewed here.)

We have tried to address each of those questions, below, based upon the Wright-Pierce engineering study (reported in 2019) plus the conversations on water management that have taken place during meetings of the Select Board, the Planning Board, and the Finance Committee. You will notice that some of the questions may not be answerable without further input from Wright-Pierce, or another engineering consultant.

QUESTION 1: I don’t understand what is objectionable about replacing a failing water storage tank. Why should I oppose a simple maintenance project?

ANSWER: This is a more complicated set of issues than Article 27 suggests. Replacement of one of the Town’s three water storage tanks will not improve water supply or water pressure for the entire Town. As of 2019, the cost to replace all three storage tanks was estimated to be approximately $15 million. Even that is just the tip of an iceberg that was described in the Wright-Pierce Report… a long list of deficiencies in the Weston water management system with respect to water pressure, sourcing, storage, distribution, pipe replacement, and risk management strategies. Also, it may be possible to refurbish the tank in situ, at a much lower cost, before a complete replacement is feasible. (See Q3, below.)

QUESTION 2: Article 27 asks for $4.6 million to replace a failing water storage tank at Paine’s Hill. Why did you say that the entire water management program is a $50+ million endeavor?

ANSWER: The Report that the town received in 2019 identified 19 recommendations that were summarized in a table, outlining the estimated cost and priority of each recommendation. That table is viewable here. The costs and priorities have also been summarized here.

QUESTION 3: Ultimate replacement of the existing water storage tanks, in all cases, seems to require more space than exists at the current locations. The only practical solution may be to acquire so-called Article 97 property (state owned protected land) adjacent to the existing properties. How long will it take to design and negotiate an agreement to acquire that property?

ANSWER: This is not clear. Any acquisition of Article 97 land would require a negotiation with the State “after all other options have been explored and proven to be infeasible”. If a considerable amount of time is required to resolve this issue, that might make a repair of the Paine’s Hill storage tank a wiser and simpler next step, in advance of its ultimate replacement.

QUESTION 4: The single conveyance of water from MWRA to Weston is noted as a significant issue, one that sounds more urgent than replacing the existing water storage tanks. Specifically, “The single connection represents a significant vulnerability. If it were to fail, Weston could be completely out of drinking water.” From a risk-management perspective, shouldn’t the security of Weston’s water supply trump water storage capacity?

ANSWER: In short, yes. If the condition of the Paine’s Hill storage tank has deteriorated significantly, and its priority has changed relative to 2019, then it is probably not too soon to begin the process of replacing it. That said, the timeline for site preparation – including acquisition of additional “Article 97” land – may push construction out so far as to require an updated construction cost estimate later, making the stated estimate of $4.6 million a “teaser”. It is entirely possible that creating a second feed from MWRA could be accomplished in less time, and at a fraction of the cost, according to the 2019 Report.

QUESTION 5: The 2019 Report recommendations include, “The Town should develop policy to limit new service connections above a maximum serviceable grade of 281.65 feet to reliably provide 35 psi [of water pressure]”, and “Until additional active storage volume is added, new development should be curtailed”. Have the Planning Board and the Select Board addressed those recommendations?

ANSWER: Not to our knowledge. Moreover, the town is currently grappling with three proposals that could increase the total housing stock by as much as 15% in the near term. Besides direct impacts from the new residents' water usage, this construction will also have a ripple effect on secondary water demands. All three proposals are large-scale, mid-rise apartment complexes with unprecedented fire suppression challenges -- like sufficient distribution, control, volume and pressure. Those proposals are dispersed around town, and each has its own community facilities, like pools. This is a brand-new housing type for Weston, with unfamiliar density and demand requirements, and the state is pressuring towns through new regulations to build them. The anticipated apartment housing on the former Liberty Mutual site (a fourth example) reflects that pressure.

QUESTION 6: The 2019 Report recommends “Routine Pipe Replacement” numbers totaling $49 million over 20 years… or roughly $2.5 million per year. How much of that pipe replacement spending is already in the Town Budget? Is the $2.5 million per year the recommended level of spending or the recommended increase in spending on pipe replacement?

ANSWER: That is not clear. What we do know is that Routine Pipe Replacement expenditures from the Water Enterprise Fund were only about $210,000 and $250,000 in fiscal years 2020 and 2021, respectively, with another $400,000 this year, and $680,000 planned for next year.

QUESTION 7: The 2019 Report called out a risk of insufficient water supply for fire safety, saying “The impact of the [active storage] deficit is that the system has no storage capacity to fight fire under maximum day conditions”. I don’t recall ever hearing of a fire-fighting situation in Weston that didn’t have enough water. What has the Chief of the Fire Department said about that kind of risk to the community?

ANSWER: Chief Soares is on record has having said that the ability of the Weston Fire Department has never been impeded by any water shortage. He also stated that future development of multi-family units would all be constructed with adequate sprinkler and fire safety systems, both of which would mitigate the risks related to water capacity or water pressure.


QUESTION 8: The Wright-Pierce assessment is three to four years old. Has the Town solicited an update of the major findings of the 2019 report, with new cost estimates and confirmation of the relative priority/urgency of each recommendation?

ANSWER: Not to our knowledge. A representative from Wright-Pierce has attended many of the meetings that have been held. However, we have not heard that the costs and priorities being discussed are updated.


QUESTION 9: If the Wright-Pierce Report was delivered to the Town in 2019, why is the conversation about water management deficiencies only coming to the fore this year?

ANSWER: That is an interesting question, for which we have no answer.

Thank you for your questions. The answers reinforce our primary concern, which is that for an endeavor of this size and scope, the level of discussion, disclosure, and management has not addressed the real problems. We remain opposed to a rush to judgment on one storage tank – which doesn’t begin to solve the problem.

We recommend that warrant articles 27 and 28 be withdrawn, and instead the Town undertake a comprehensive and updated project plan. If these articles are not withdrawn, we recommend voting against both Article 27 and Article 28.

This is one more reason to attend the Town Meeting on May 9th and express your point of view with your vote.