Water Woes
Could the Central Massachusetts economy dry up?
There are plenty of hurdles to economic expansion in Central Massachusetts, most notably the region's high cost of living when compared to areas in the nation's south and west.
But one resource that many take for granted could prove an even bigger hurdle to economic growth locally: the scarcity of plain old H2O.
The Northeast is generally considered immune from the severe drought issues that plague other parts of the United States.
But per capita water availability in Massachusetts is significantly less than in the arid state of Nevada, according to a 2006 report from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and Water Resources Commission.
Drip Dry
Faced with an aging infrastructure, increasing population density and sweeping economic development initiatives - on top of an unusually dry summer - the region's water resources are being taxed as never before, according to state and local officials.
While confident that Central Massachusetts won't turn into a barren wasteland any time soon, planners are stressing smart growth, water reuse and conservation, and targeted infrastructure upgrades to ensure that, quite literally, the well does not run dry.
Development Knocking On The Door
Take the town of Ayer. According to Mike Madigan, Department of Public Works superintendent for the town of 7,300, its single largest user of water is CPF Inc., a bottling plant that uses the town's water to make Aquafina.
The town is permitted by the state to draw 2.5 million gallons of groundwater per day. In order to ensure that the town doesn't exceed its capacity, Madigan says he keeps a "water bank," a running tally of how much more demand the town's system can handle without being in danger of outstripping capacity or permitted withdrawal levels.
But if another CPF wants to move to town - which would be a boon for Ayer's tax base - Madigan's stress level would surely go up.
"If someone came knocking on the town's door, another company, another high water user, that's where I would be concerned," Madigan said. "A situation could come up where their needs couldn't be met in the short term, and they'd have to go somewhere else."
Even in Devens - the region's savior when it comes to business growth - is facing similar concerns. There, pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb is constructing a massive $750 million manufacturing plant, one that promises to use "enormous amounts" of purified water as part of its manufacturing process, according to Joseph Tarnowski, senior vice president, technical operations, biologics manufacturing and process development at BMS.
Devens is permitted to draw 4.33 million gallons per day. At full build-out and 100 percent capacity, BMS promises to use 1.2 million gallons per day, or more than a quarter of the former Army base's capacity, said Jim Moore, utilities department supervisor at Devens.
Should another large water user come in, capacity could get tight in a hurry.
"If BMS does do 100 percent of what they say they might, unless you limit growth, we may have to expand our capacity in a few years," Moore said.
Aged Infrastructure
Oddly, it's the rural and suburban communities surrounded by the state's abundant water resources that are the ones at the most risk of running dry, according to Paul Matthews, executive director of the 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership, a regional advocacy organization.
Boston has long been the commercial and cultural heart of the state, and as such has always had the resources necessary to invest in and maintain its massive water infrastructure, Matthews said. However Central Massachusetts, largely rural and undeveloped until the past 20 or 30 years, is now experiencing tremendous growth, but has aging or inadequate facilities.
The town of Littleton is a perfect example. Home of the Veryfine juice company, which uses the town's water in its beverage products, the town draws an average of 1.4 million gallons per day for residential, commercial and industrial use, which coincides almost exactly with the town's permitted use, according to Savas Danos, general manager of the Littleton Electric Light and Water Department.
During this summer's drought, when water demand was at its highest, the town regularly drew more than 2 million gallons per day. When one of the town's four wells became clogged with mineral deposits, the other three wells were pushed to keep up with demand, Danos said.
"We got caught this summer with our pants down," said Danos. "We didn't have an opportunity to clean our well screens, and when the summer came, it came with a vengeance. We had to go into an aggressive program of water restriction."
To make sure the town isn't hung out to dry again next summer, Danos is working with the state on preliminary plans to establish a fifth well site in the town, one that would increase capacity. Madigan said Ayer is pursuing a similar course.
Well Wishers
But towns and utilities can't just keep going to the well, as it were, and increasing their permitted capacity every few years. Expanding that capacity not only further taxes the state's water resources, it adds a heavy burden to an already over-burdened infrastructure, Matthews said.
The DEP issues permits for town water use on a 20-year cycle, explained Jennifer Pederson, executive director of the Massachusetts Waterworks Association in Acton, a 1,300-member organization that advocates for water suppliers in the state. Because of that cycle, many communities are now in the process of renewing permits issued in the 1980s under the state Water Management Act. Pederson said new permits may soon come with water conservation conditions attached, which will put unnecessary constraints on economic growth.
If passed, water conservation standards pushed by the state Water Resources Commission would impose mandatory per capita water use caps on towns, in the neighborhood of 65 to 85 gallons per day per capita, Pederson said.
"The thing is, a lot of communities are well below their regulated use as passed in the 80s," Pederson said. "They have enough capacity to bring in businesses, but we fear that by putting these conditions on, they might hinder economic development."
Which isn't to say that the Massachusetts Waterworks Association is against water conservation, or advocates an "if you've got it, flaunt it" approach to water use. Instead, Pederson said, they advocate a best management approach that would allow towns to find out what works for them, with their rates and infrastructure.
Instead of being worried about conserving water, the state should worry more about rising water rates that must fund badly needed infrastructure improvements, said Pederson. Water, traditionally undervalued, is now becoming much more expensive as towns seek ways to fund new wastewater treatment plants and higher-capacity wells, she added.
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