Saturday, July 24, 2021

"Massachusetts will need to make major investments in infrastructure"

"If the heavy rains of this summer are emblematic of our future normal as climate change progresses, then so, too, is this: Much of that rainwater overwhelms local sewers, triggering the release of hundreds of millions of gallons of raw, untreated sewage into Massachusetts waterways.

When the rain falls, as it has so many days this month, aging sewers can fill and overflow, spilling pathogen-laden sewage into the same places where people fish, swim, and boat. It’s a problem that plagues the state, even without the expected impact from climate change.

Despite billions of dollars that have been spent to repair and upgrade sewers around Boston Harbor, for example, sewage overflows from Quincy have remained a persistent problem. Quincy recently signed a settlement with the federal government, agreeing to spend $100 million to fix its sewers. And just this week, discharged sewage was pointed to as a possible cause of an oily sheen, dead fish, and putrid smells on a section of the upper Charles River."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

One of the major infrastructure pieces for Franklin just came online; the new water treatment plant on Grove St. The next item to come up for discussion later this year is the replacement project for the Beaver St interceptor, our major sewer connection. The project has been talked of for years and earlier this year, received funding for the full project plans and costs to be developed. That proposal is likely to come up during the fall. Stay tuned for it.

Recap of Jan 6, 2021 Town Council meeting which included authorization to fund the development work for the project design

The Finance Committee posted agenda for Nov 2020 including the interceptor project presentation document  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/franklin-ma-finance-committee-agenda_14.html

My notes of the meeting  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/finance-committee-meeting-recap-nov-17.html

The Oct 21, 2020 Town Council meeting segment with the Beaver St interceptor presentation and discussion  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/fm-372-town-council-mtg-102120-part-2.html

key graphic depicts the sewer gravity flow along with the depth of the access points
key graphic depicts the sewer gravity flow along with the depth of the access points

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