At Special Town Meeting we voted to borrow about $5 million to connect the town water system to the much bigger and better system at Devens. I fear this vote will have huge unintended consequences and threatens the town’s precious rural character. It will greatly facilitate new cluster development, since a major constraint on such development is the need for water and sewer. The Devens connection will make it much easier to access water.
As noted at Town Meeting, that still leaves septic capacity as a constraint. However, technology for package septic systems keeps advancing. Due to their expense, they are much more cost-effective for multiple units. Residential developers, of course, understand this. We can expect great pressure, including of hostile high-density 40Bs, on the pace and scope of residential development. This will not only change our local character but strain schools and public services.
I wish I had focused on this issue in my remarks on this article at Town Meeting, since I suspect that understanding its potential risk might have changed the outcome of the vote.
Billy Salter
Elm Street (in the town water district)
