Runoff containing road salt that now enters one of the town’s wells could someday carry contamination from nearby septic systems into the public water supply. That was the major finding of a report commissioned last November by the Board of Selectmen and released earlier this month by the Water System Study Committee. Harvard’s only two operating wells—designated as well 2 and well 5—are located within 100 feet of each other off Pond Road, and together they supply the 22,000 gallons of water used on average daily by residents, businesses, schools, and churches in the town center.
The selectmen discussed the report with committee member Kyle Hedrick at their April 7 meeting. Hedrick, also a member of the Water Commission, hydrologist Ted Morine, and former water commissioner Duane Barber made up the three-person committee, which was originally charged with finding alternative water sources for the town. They were to report back to the selectmen by Annual Town Meeting, but because of the enormity of the task and the short amount of time that they were given, the committee focused instead on the state of Harvard’s existing town water supply.
Septic concerns
The most worrisome item identified in the report, according to Hedrick, is the stream that flows from a property on Whitman Road, under Pond Road, and across a fracture in the exposed ledge that leads to well 2’s water supply. The property’s homeowner, whose septic system is in failure, recently submitted a request to the Board of Health seeking approval for a new alternative septic system that requires multiple variances because of ledge and high groundwater. Because of the proximity of all three of the properties on Whitman Road to the aquifer protection zone, the Board of Health responded by recommending that the Sewer Commission expand the district to include those properties. The Water Study Committee recommends constructing a transfer channel to carry the Whitman Road stream away from the fractured ledge leading to well 2, and it also recommends the extension of the sewer district to Whitman Road as the best long-term solution for protecting the wells. A warrant article at the March 28 Town Meeting to extend the district was passed over because of insufficient cost data but will appear again on the warrant at a June Special Town Meeting.
The ledge fracture near well 2 is also responsible for letting road salt into the town’s water. Salt used to de-ice roads uphill from Pond Road mixes into the groundwater that flows down the hill and over the fracture, where it enters well 2’s water supply. To negate the salty taste of the water, water from the second well (well 5) is blended with well 2’s water. The committee sees road salt as a growing threat to the water supply and recommends reducing salt application on the roads uphill from the wells. This would require cooperation from local and state highway departments.
Protection from fuel spills
Oil tank leaks, car accidents, or fuel truck rollovers were all cited as other possible dangers to the town water supply. The report stated that an accident close to the wells “could easily give fuels quick access to the soil and geological fractures affecting the wells.” The committee recommends installing an asphalt lip on the side of Pond Road near the wells and prohibiting parking along both sides of Pond Road between the beach parking lot and Warren Avenue.
The town’s well 3 is located at the reservoir on Bolton Road and has not been in service for many years because of unacceptable levels of iron and manganese. When those levels were first discovered, the cost of treating the water to make it drinkable was prohibitive. The committee recommends that current technologies be investigated to see if it might now be economically feasible to make well 3’s water drinkable so that it can be used as a backup to the Pond Road wells. Well 4, located behind the Bromfield School, was capped before it was ever used because of unacceptable levels of uranium and radon. The committee puts this well at the bottom of its list of alternative water supplies, citing the cost of both water treatment and dealing with the radioactive waste that treatment would produce. Well 1, the town’s original well, is located on private property on Ayer Road and was taken offline in 1974 because of contamination.
In case of emergency
Hedrick told the Press that the town could survive with one well, but it would stress the well. In particular, well 5 has a pumping restriction because of its close proximity to wetlands. The committee looked at the feasibility of bringing in water trucks to deal with any shortfall in case of emergency and discovered that work needs to be done at the reservoir to make that a viable option. The work would include constructing a concrete pad for a 40,000-pound water truck and installing a pumping system that could deliver the water to the reservoir while maintaining water quality and safety.
Hedrick said that more people are needed if the committee is to take on the task of looking for alternative water sources. Selectman Ron Ricci, who served for many years on the Water Commission, offered to help Hedrick find more volunteers. He will also define a new charge for the committee in time for the selectmen’s first meeting in May. At their second meeting in May, Ricci will make recommendations on the protective steps for the existing water supply outlined in the committee’s report.
