Federal and state agencies slam Framingham water project

By Beth Daley m
GLOBE STAFF

In August, I wrote a story about how Framingham was racing to secure federal stimulus money for a public works project that environmentalists said could significantly harm the Sudbury River and a popular lake.

Now, if letters pouring in from federal and state officials are any indication, the water pumping and treatment project is all but dead, at least for now.

A fisherman on the Sudbury River (Globe staff photo/Wendy Maeda)

Here is the back story: Framingham has long wanted to reactivate old drinking water wells and build a water treatment plant to reduce its reliance on more expensive water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Doing so, community officials say, would save the town at least $1 million a year and allow it to upgrade its aging water and sewer infrastructure to keep pollution from streaming into waterways.

In order to receive more than $5 million in economic stimulus money, the town asked state environmental chief Ian Bowles in August to use a draft environmental review of the project as the final one. Bowles refused, lowered the amount of water the town could take from nearby waterways, and instructed Framingham to conduct a list of adjunct studies. He also instructed state agencies to work closely with Framingham to get it done quickly so if the project was ultimately approved, it could take advantage of stimulus money.

But the $40 million project – and now final environmental review - has been a lightning rod for controversy. Recently, the U.S. EPA; Department of the Interior representing the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife; the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and Water Resources Commission have all commented that the town’s final environmental review is incomplete at best and has not proven it won’t be harmful to nearby aquatic life and water quality.

The National Park Service and other groups say the project could impact The Sudbury River, designated a federal Wild and Scenic River, and the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. State officials say it could severely draw down Lake Cochituate enough that boating would be difficult.

Now, Bowles must decide by Friday whether or not Framingham’s review is adequate or not. But with his own state experts cautioning against it, it doesn’t look good for Framingham.