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| Franklin Residents: Full Water Ban in effect June 25, 2020 due to drought conditions |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #1 |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #2 |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #3 |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #4 |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #5 |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #6 |
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| screen capture of TC meeting water update #7 |
"Millions of ordinary Americans are facing rising and unaffordable bills for running water, and risk being disconnected or losing their homes if they cannot pay, a landmark Guardian investigation has found.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Exclusive analysis of 12 US cities shows the combined price of water and sewage increased by an average of 80% between 2010 and 2018, with more than two-fifths of residents in some cities living in neighbourhoods with unaffordable bills.
In the first nationwide research of its kind, our findings reveal the painful impact of America’s expanding water poverty crisis as aging infrastructure, environmental clean-ups, changing demographics and the climate emergency fuel exponential price hikes in almost every corner of the US."
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| construction underway on Grove St to replace the pump station for wells 3-6 |
"Public comments on the draft regulations will be accepted by email to program.director-dwp@mass.gov through Feb. 28"
"On Dec. 13, the Baker-Polito administration and the Department of Environmental Protection announced their intent to file two regulations related to PFAS, a class of manmade chemical compounds considered hazardous to public and environmental health.
While many chemicals have been identified as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the MassDEP regulations pertain to six targeted PFAS compounds.
The first regulation, filed by MassDEP, mandates cleanup by parties found responsible for groundwater contamination of 20 parts per trillion (ppt) or more of the sum of the six PFAS compounds. The cleanup rule also establishes PFAS limits specifically for soil contamination. Massachusetts is one of only a few states that have established formal PFAS cleanup standards.
The second regulation is a draft rule that would establish a maximum contaminant level for drinking water at the same 20 ppt of the sum of the six PFAS compounds. In a press release, the MassDEP notes that the proposed maximum contaminant level for drinking water “covers a larger subgroup of compounds than any other state and provides a greater deal of protection, particularly for sensitive subgroups.”Continue reading the article online
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| bags of the acrylic coated infill ready for install at FHS in August 2017 |
"Have you ever played on the field at Beaver Pond in Franklin, MA? Many kids have. Little do they know, discarded turf from the field has been decomposing in the pond’s wetlands for over two years."Continue reading the Pantherbook article online
"Amid growing concerns about toxic chemicals in the water supply, state regulators Friday announced significant new limits on the human-made compounds in drinking water and approved new requirements ordering polluters to clean up contaminated soil and ground water.
The long-awaited rules come as environmental officials acknowledge that the per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known as PFAS, have been found in a growing number of communities across the state.
The chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, low infant birth weights, and a range of diseases, have been found so far in 28 of 37 municipal water systems that have provided test results to the state Department of Environmental Protection, officials said this week. Of those, 12 found that the amounts exceed the proposed standards for drinking water."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
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| bags of the acrylic coated infill ready for install at FHS in August 2017 |
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| new turf carpet being installed at Beaver St field in August 2017 |
"For two years, an abandoned pile of artificial turf had decomposed on a bluff here, a few feet above wetlands that are part of the suburb’s drinking water supply. Nearby, ripped bags with the infill of the turf, tiny pellets of shredded tires, littered the embankment.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Public health advocates have long raised alarms about artificial turf pellets, which simulate the give of natural grass but have been shown to contain benzene, cadmium, and other known carcinogens. Now, for the first time, a new series of tests has found that the blades, and their plastic backing, may also contain toxic chemicals.
The test results showed that the turf contained elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals known as PFAS, which have been linked to kidney cancer, low infant birth weights, and a range of diseases. The findings have raised concerns about the safety of millions of square feet of artificial turf installed in recent years on public fields and playgrounds across the country.
“This is huge. It’s the first time that PFAS chemistry used in plastic production has been found in finished consumer products,” said Jeff Gearhart, research director of the Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental research group based in Michigan that tested the turf. “This finding is maybe the tip of the iceberg. We suspect these PFAS chemicals may be found in other plastic building and consumer products.”
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| Kyla Bennett (left) and Tracy Stewart of Medway looked over a pile of turf in Franklin.DAVID L RYAN/GLOBE STAFF/GLOBE STAFF |
There is a light at the end of the town’s summer-long water treatment plant repair tunnel that has kept the town on a full water ban since July.
Department of Public Works Director Brutus Cantoreggi said Wednesday via the department’s social media that the town has all the parts needed to get its main water treatment plant up and running.
The plant at 10 Public Works Way was shut down on July 7, along with the town’s two largest and oldest wells associated with it, as a result of a fire in one of the tanks.
“We finally have all the parts needed to fully restore the water treatment plant after the fire,” Cantoreggi reported. “Our crews are currently working to install the parts and we hope to have everything ready very soon.”
"A nonprofit organization hopes to equip 100 teen girls from low- to moderate-income families with the skills needed to launch a business, nonprofit or community project.
Girls with Impact, a group that aims to supply next-generation leaders with a strong network for both the corporate and public sectors, announced recently that it will give 100 girls scholarships to an online academy where they can learn how to build a business or nonprofit.
The deadline to apply is Monday. Applications can be submitted online at girlswithimpact.com. Scholarships are made possible by support of Eversource Energy and Boston Scientific, according to a press release.
The live, online program is designed with Harvard University experts. It guides girls through ideation to a plausible business plan. Along the way, the girls learn about concepts such as competition, targeting customers, finances and marketing."
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| Girls With Impact offers scholarships |
"U.S. health officials on Friday again urged people to stop vaping until they figure out why some are coming down with serious breathing illnesses.
Officials have identified about 450 possible cases, including as many as five deaths, in 33 states. The count includes newly reported deaths in California, Indiana and Minnesota.
No single vaping device, liquid or ingredient has been tied to all the illnesses, officials said. Many of the sickened — but not all — were people who said they had been vaping THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its high. Many are teens.
Health officials have only been counting certain lung illnesses in which the person had vaped within three months. Doctors say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the body apparently reacting to a caustic substance that someone breathed in. Symptoms have included shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain and vomiting."
"A supplemental spending bill Gov. Charlie Baker plans to file on Friday will include millions of dollars in new money to help cities and towns test for and treat certain chemical contaminants in their drinking water.
The family of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been detected at levels above Department of Environmental Protection guidelines in public water supplies in Ayer, Barnstable, Harvard, Hudson, Mashpee, Middleton, Shirley and Westfield, according to the DEP.
DEP officials said all those communities have taken action to target PFAS, and the department is undergoing a sampling program looking for contamination in areas where PFAS has been found or is known to have been used.
The budget Baker is filing to close the books on fiscal 2019 will propose $8.4 million to test drinking water for PFAS contamination, and another $20 million to support PFAS remediation projects, according to the DEP."
"It’s going to be a little bit longer before the town’s primary water treatment plant – shut down since July 7 – will be back in working order.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
The plant was shut down, as were the town’s two oldest and largest wells associated with it, on the heels of a fire in one of the plant’s tanks, which has resulted in a summer-long, full-water ban in the town.
The ban, which prohibits all outdoor watering except for vegetable and flower gardens by hand-held hose only, remains in effect. The town has rarely instituted full watering bans.
On top of the fire-related shut downs, the DPW this week also had to shut down a third, lightly used well because E. coli was detected in an untreated sample. Officials stress that the situation is not an emergency, and assure water customers that treated water in the distribution system has remained clear of the bacteria."
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| "The delay ... was necessary to replace damaged parts associated with the tank" |
"While repairs have begun at the town’s main water treatment plant in the aftermath of a tank fire earlier this month, it is not known when work will be completed - nor, consequently, how much longer the town will remain on a full water ban.
DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi on Monday said the repair project, which is looking to come in under $100,000, requires a number of specialty parts that need to be special ordered.
“The tank is currently being repaired and lined and we are sourcing replacements for the many pieces of equipment that are attached to the tank,” he indicated in an update on the work posted Monday afternoon to the DPW’s Facebook page. “All this specialized work takes time to complete. Additionally, the many repair/replacement parts that are needed are very specialized and cannot just be bought off the shelf at any hardware store.”
Once parts are put into place, DPW workers will need to undertake thorough testing before Cantoreggi will be ready to call off the full water ban that has been in place since July 7, he said."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
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| “We have to bring it all back online and test it” |
"It’s the season of outdoor water restrictions in Massachusetts.
But are you really going to get slapped with a fine – or even have your water shut off – if you set up a sprinkler on the wrong day of the week, as many local bylaws threaten?
According to Department of Public Works directors and data from about a dozen cities and towns in the Milford area and MetroWest, maybe, but it doesn’t happen often.
“Do you really think I want to be the water police? Absolutely not,” Franklin Director of Public Works Robert Cantoreggi said. “I look at it more as a public education type of thing.”
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| "I think people are realizing the value of water” |
In spite of widespread efforts to get the word out about a full water ban that’s in effect, not everyone is getting the message.
Public works officials reported via the DPW’s Facebook page on Monday that more than 100 homes were identified Sunday night as still running irrigation systems.
Under the ban, town water customers may not do any outdoor watering - except for watering vegetable gardens and ornamental plants by hand-held hose - until further notice as part of emergency water conservation efforts to ensure adequate water for consumption and fire suppression.
The ban was put into effect July 7 after a mechanical failure at the town’s main treatment plant late on July 6 that caused heavy smoke and forced a shutdown of the facility, in addition to the town’s two largest and oldest wells that are associated with the plant.
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| auto sprinkler system watering the grass during 2016 drought |
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| rain barrels at the Franklin Community Garden |
"A stringent water ban is in effect throughout town after a mechanical failure at the main treatment plant late Saturday night caused heavy smoke and forced a shutdown of the facility, in addition to two associated wells.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Town Administrator Jamie Hellen on Monday said the ban will remain in effect until further notice, as officials work to determine the cause of the failure, assess damages and undertake necessary repairs and replacements.
“We don’t know how long this (ban) will be in effect for,” Hellen said.
The DPW put out an advisory about the ban early on Sunday, stepping up water use restrictions from the conservation measures that are always in effect and that allow all types of watering one day a week according to a schedule based on address."
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| Franklin DPW headquarters building |
![Attention Franklin Residents: [DPW] water ban effective immediately](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU-MnElHczGgW8O5PtCUtaM-mYzJkaMzAUg-QSkt9_CCHk2mWuMqPs_Sco2jWVRpqXccHanJjBcWeVQq1OzasAmU44zVixngez3HXX8RRklLFXw3Tt2w7W_rdHLHmtqx5vVZX1ExOwaw/s1600/IMG_20190629_091750.jpg "Attention Franklin Residents: [DPW] water ban effective immediately") |
| Attention Franklin Residents: [DPW] water ban effective immediately |
"This report describes Franklin’s drinking water sources and treated water quality for the calendar year 2018, and programs that protect the high quality of our water supply. This publication is mandated by the federal public right-to-know regulation requiring community water suppliers to provide specific treated water quality information annually to their customers. This report includes additional information beyond the minimum federal requirements in order to respond to typical questions our customers ask about Franklin’s water system."
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| DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi and Water Supervisor Laurie Ruszela provided an update to the Town Council, Jan 2019 |
