CRWA in the NewsLeaky Pipes Send Water Down DrainThe recent rainy weather not only dampened spirits and canceled plans, it also highlighted a flaw in Medfield's sewer system. Underground water seeping into cracked sewer pipes boosted the flow to the town's sewage treatment plant to more than 3 million gallons a day for several days, double the average daily amount. Robert Zimmerman, executive director of the Charles River Watershed Association, said that such ``infiltration" drains water from the underground aquifer that supplies the town's drinking water. He said the water is being wasted because it is going directly into the sewers without ever being used. He said many other towns have similar problems. ``It's a big deal," Zimmerman said. ``We're concerned about it. It's a problem in the infrastructure." Zimmerman said action is needed to improve systems and conserve water. The problems come at a time when the state is concerned about communities' water usage and is phasing in new regulations that would restrict the amount that towns drawing water from the area's aquifers could use per day. Medfield is among the towns that have described the regulations as too restrictive. The new regulations call for many Charles River Watershed communities to limit water usage to an average of 65 gallons per person per day, and to reduce the amount of water wasted through leaky pipes or imprecise metering to less than 10 percent of total usage. If communities' water and sewer systems were more efficient, the new regulations would not be a problem, Zimmerman said. Edmund Coletta, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the problem of ground water leaking into sewer pipes is widespread. ``You don't want to waste water," he said. ``You want to use water wisely. To have leaky pipes is a problem because you're not utilizing the water that you have wisely." Town Administrator Michael Sullivan acknowledged there are legitimate concerns about water being wasted. However, he said, communities are reluctant to comply with new state rules that are often confusing, conflicting, and poorly communicated to town officials. One trouble spot in town is the abandoned Medfield's Board of Selectmen chairwoman, Ann Thompson, said the town is receiving conflicting messages from the state about the problem. The property is owned by the state Department of Capital Asset Management, but the new water regulations are coming from the state Department of Environmental Protection. ``I consider it a problem because the state is making efforts to limit our water usage, and then they're letting something like that happen without paying attention to the problem," said Thompson. ``It's absolutely a conflicting message. They're telling the townspeople to watch their usage, and yet they're letting a million gallons go per month." Superintendent of Public Works Kenneth P. Feeney said the larger flows caused by infiltration, particularly on rainy days, can require his employees to work overtime at the sewer plant. One silver lining is that the town can charge the Department of Capital Asset Management for sewer service from the hospital property. ``We do bill them, and DCAM doesn't like it," Feeney said. Officials also emphasized that workers can handle all the extra waste water without a decrease in the quality of the water being discharged. ``We were able to keep the treatment process going so by the time it went back into the river it met standards," Sullivan said.
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