Medway officials hope to alleviate the town's problems with brown drinking water by bringing two new wells on line and flushing out pipes this year.
Selectman Andrew Espinosa, who chairs the town's water working group, is optimistic about solving the problems in a matter of months. "I think we have at least identified all of the things that need to be done and managed the problems very well," he said. "We'll see pretty much full relief by the end of the year."
But the process of clearing up the water has met with delays that have confused and incensed residents. The latest snag includes a decision to delay flushing out the town's water mains, a process intended to clean iron-heavy sediment from the pipes and reduce the discolored - though safe to drink - water coming out of taps in the northeast portion of Medway. The flushing was supposed to take place in December but has been put off until May, according to town officials.
The working group rescheduled the flushing largely over concerns the town's water table was not high enough to complete a thorough cleaning, said Espinosa. The delay also stems from a state Depart ment of Environmental Protection directive that the town have a water-chlorination system in place prior to the flush to prevent bacteria in the water. Samples taken in 2006 tested positive for the bacteria, Espinosa said. The new chlorination system should be in place by May.
The Water and Sewer Department's superintendent, Mark Flaherty, said the samples that tested positive for bacteria came from a water tank in the western part of town, where construction had disturbed nearby water pipes.
The delays, two water main breaks last month that increased dirty water reports, and a perceived lack of long-term planning to prevent these problems, have caused selectmen to step in, Espinosa said.
"The Water and Sewer Commission is very knowledgeable in the technical aspects of water management; however, they haven't been proactive about solving the issues that residents have encountered in the past few years," Espinosa said.
Town Administrator Suzanne Kennedy pointed to the recent collaboration between selectmen and the town's water and sewer officials as a sign that communication will improve and joint solutions will emerge.
"Members of the Board of Selectmen serve on the water working group and the sewer extension working group," Kennedy said. "By virtue of their representation, there's an effort to establish collegiality and understand each other's perspective."
The increased reports of tinted water since last fall stem largely from a broken screen on the Village Street well, which necessitated increasing the town's dependence on the iron-heavy Oakland Street well, Flaherty said. The town is in the process of building a new Village Street well, which should be completed in May.
Also, the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners is working toward a hydroflushing contract with an engineering firm, Tata & Howard Inc. of Westborough.
"When the flushing is done, there's clear water behind it," Flaherty said.
Besides the new Village Street well, the town plans to build a new well this year off Industrial Park Road.
Town Meeting in November approved borrowing up to $3.3 million for the project.
The town is in negotiations with the homeowners on the proposed site of the well, Kennedy said. If negotiations go according to plan, the well should be completed by October, Flaherty said.
In addition, Town Meeting authorized $120,000 from the water department's retained earnings to hire a consultant who will help Flaherty with managing the upcoming water and sewer projects and creating a long-term water and sewer master plan. Resumes for the consultant's position are due to the town this month, Kennedy said.
And the town is conducting a water-rate study, Kennedy said, which she hopes will play "a big role" in the master plan.
Selectman Dennis Crowley said he foresees brown-water relief soon.
"It's still a problem, but people know there's an endgame to this thing," he said.
