Corrected and updated April 26, 2024
In about two years, if all goes well, the town’s public water will come from the treated wells in Devens. Earlier this month, town officials signed an intermunicipal agreement with MassDevelopment that included specifics such as how much water Devens will provide to Harvard daily and how much the town will pay for that water. The Select Board voted unanimously to approve the agreement at its April 2 meeting.
Under terms of the agreement, Harvard can use up to 100,000 gallons of water per day. If the town should require more than that, the agreement could be amended, provided Devens has sufficient capacity. Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart told the Water Commission at its April 12 meeting that the town typically uses about 16,000 gallons a day, and the current municipal water supply is licensed for a maximum of 23,000 gallons a day, averaged over the course of a year. Kilhart told the Press that number is dictated by the state and is based on how fast the two bedrock wells on Pond Road can fill.
The town will initially be billed at the rate of $3.07 per thousand gallons used. Each July 1, beginning this year (even though the system will not yet be operational), rates will increase by the greater of 2% and the one-year percent change to the Boston-Cambridge-Newton consumer price index. That change was 3.3% in March.
Water Commission Chair Cindy Russo told the Press the commission will determine the new water rates when the connection is completed. Current town water customers pay a base charge of $50 per quarter and an additional charge of about 0.4 cents a gallon. That charge is mainly for the operation and maintenance of the water system. The new system will also have operation and maintenance costs, and the current plan is to maintain the Pond Road wells as an emergency backup.
Devens will also reimburse the town for up to 300,000 gallons of water per day used to fight an uninsured property fire. Town Administrator Tim Bragan told the Select Board at its April 2 meeting that Fire Chief Rick Sicard is satisfied with that amount. He said the chief told him that if the town ever needed more than 300,000 gallons of water to fight a fire, it would be a “seminal event in his career.” Harvard’s tanker truck holds just 3,000 gallons, so this would be the equivalent of 100 tanker trucks. If the property that suffered the loss is insured, the town would seek restitution for water use from the owner.
MassDevelopment will provide the town with the same annual water quality reports it sends to its customers in Devens. However, Harvard will still be required to sample the water at the connection point and perform any tests required by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The agreement has a term of 25 years. It has a renegotiation provision that will allow the contract to continue until both parties agree on new terms. Harvard’s right to connect to the Devens water system is not tied to the terms of this agreement.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected and updated. The original article stated that water customers pay a base charge of $50 per quarter and an additional charge of about 24 cents cents a gallon. The correct additional charge is about 0.4 cents per gallon.
