The bypass plan receives positive feedback

Tata & Howard Engineer Jon Gregory and Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant Manager Henri Renauld recently held a call with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials about the bypass plan during the upcoming switch to the new filtration system.

“We were able to answer their questions,” Gregory said, reporting during Tuesday’s public meeting of the Mattapoisett River Valley District Water Commission. Gregory said the permit approval was received on August 5, with the conditions reviewed and deemed to be “nothing out of the ordinary”.

Last week, MRV received government permission to advertise for bidders under the State Revolving Fund (SRF), the loan program that supports water safety and infrastructure improvements.

Gregory told the commission he is working with the state on minor issues such as capital costs allocated by member cities, information he said the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust will use to see if the state agency can accept a principal forgiveness (loan).

“The fact that they looked into this was encouraging,” said Gregory, who reported on recent inquiry work from Kovalus Separation Solutions, which in October 2023 acquired Koch Separation Solutions (the original designer of the new filtration system).

Tata & Howard, the engineering firm contracted by MRV, aims to send out tender notices next week, and approach potential bidders the following week. Gregory calls for bid openings at MRV President Vinnie Furtado’s office in Fairhaven for a three-week period for electrical bids, then a five-week period for the general bid.

Citing Fairhaven’s highest utilization among MRV member cities and lowest median household income, Vinnie Furtado said he hopes the city can receive prorated loan forgiveness. Gregory noted that of the three major MRV member cities, Fairhaven is the only one with state-recognized Environmental Justice Community status.

In Renauld’s Treasurer’s Report to the commission, he detailed monthly bills totaling $95,182.32. The race against rising costs continues as Renauld reported that Matheson Gas had notified the commission that oxygen and its delivery were increasing by 10%.

In his monthly update on treatment plant operations, Renauld said the plant is doing well.

“We’re producing a lot of water … one of our biggest years yet,” he said, summarizing recent challenges such as repairing compressors while ozone generators were lost and then repaired.

Working with Fall River Electric, Renauld reports that after requests to repair a transfer switch, the commission is facing a $91,000 bill.

Mattapoisett City Administrator Mike Lorenco said the state, in response to the tornado that tore through a section of the city, including the Water Treatment Plant, sent about $100,000 to cover the damage and indicated he believes the money can be assigned to repair the switch. Renauld said the downed trees at the plant still need to be addressed and indicated he would huddle with Lorenzo and then report back to the commission.

Marion’s Wolf Island well is 70 percent to 80 percent back online, according to Renauld.

Member David Pierce asked if the drought was as bad as in years past. Furtado said water levels are “lower than where I want them to be,” but not as low as some lean years. Renauld said he is monitoring the wells and making adjustments.

The MRV computers work well, according to Furtado, who said in response to Pierce’s question that there was one occasion when he was out of the country during an emergency and was able to operate the facility remotely.

Tata & Howard’s construction services engineering deal with MRV will see Gregory huddle with Renauld and Furtado and put the deal under review by solicitor Blair Bailey. Once these details are confirmed, MRV approval will follow.

Tata & Howard are targeting November 6-7 for Emergency Response Program training. Gregory publicly thanked Marion Department of Public Works Engineer Meghan Davis for arranging to hold the class at the Music Hall. In developing proposals for each member city to facilitate training, Gregory noted that after “many, many years and cost analysis,” there will be an increase of $25 per person for training this year.

As usual, the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee met first, its members not overlapping much with those of the commission.

A significant point of discussion was Treasurer Jeff Furtado’s recommendation that, in a situation made more complex by staff changes at Fairhaven City Hall (Fairhaven is the city that administers MRV), that the committee hire a secretary to collect and present financial data at monthly meetings.

“It would be nice to find someone who could put in more time than I can,” said Jeff Furtado, who would later recommend the same to the commission. “I have no problem presenting the report, just getting the data and preparing it for presentation takes a lot of time.”

Vinnie Furtado, also chairman of the committee, agreed. “It would be better for us collectively, frankly,” he said, referring to a recent discovery of an old Unibank account containing money that has since been moved to Rockland Trust.

Davis agreed to contact the last person considered for the job.

In his treasurer’s report to the committee, Jeff Furtado played catch-up in June and July, detailing the bills, including a $2,175.44 Tata & Howard bill. The final balance reported was $87,274.26. Combined with the $100,859 in a certificate of deposit, the committee has access to $188,133.54.

Jeff Furtado also summarized FY24 expenses, including $600 for Bailey for legal work, $2,550 for Megan McCarthy for graphic work, $28,911.42 for Tata & Howard for its engineering services, and $3,020.64 for Dave Watling for his level recording efforts totaling $35,082.

Total deposits to the Rockland Trust were approximately $387,000.

Total FY24 assessments for individual member cities were $72,015.17, including $18,862 for Marion and $14,320.60 for Mattapoisett.

The committee held two unanimous votes approving Jeff Furtado’s report and authorizing Vinnie Furtado to run the CD for another four months. Jeff Furtado confirmed that it will generate the same interest.

Another item brought by Davis reminded members to check the expiration dates of their committee and commission appointments and report back next month. Marion representatives now expire in 2026.

The committee would like to hold another regional meeting of water officials and will soon propose a date and issue an invitation to representatives from surrounding cities.

An unrequired approval plan before the Rochester Planning Board (a subdivision with construction submitted by Walter Hartley), which was sent to the MRV Water Protection Advisory Committee for review, was determined not to cause any interference with jurisdictional areas. The committee voted to authorize Vinnie Furtado to write a letter confirming approval of the MRV to the Rochester Planning Board.

Gregory reported that over the next few months, the Tata & Howard dealership will accompany Watling to the field to delete some of the data from the level loggers to preserve their effectiveness. Gregory also reported working with McCarthy on the missing charts from April and May.

The next MRV District Water Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10 at 3:30 pm (committee) and 4:00 pm (committee).

MRV District Water Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo