Town Council asked to review and approve a new "Lead Service Line Inventory and Replacement Plan"

October 28, 2022

To: Town Council
From:  Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator
Allecia Alleyne, Assistant to the Town Administrator

Re: Resolution 22-69: Authorizing the Borrowing of Money to Pay Costs Associated with the Creation of the Lead Service Line Inventory and Replacement Plan and Authorizing the Town Administrator to File Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Application and to Take Other Action as Needed

In December 2020, the EPA issued Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) which require all Public Water Suppliers to document the material of all Lead Service Lines (LSLs) within their distribution system and produce an inventory of all pipe materials by October 16, 2024. To achieve compliance, the Town will need to organize, examine, and compile all documentation that determines pipe material into a single database which must be accessible to the public. The Town must also submit a plan to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) by October 2024 detailing how we will prioritize, fund, and fully remove any remaining lead services within the distribution system.

The Town of Franklin historically has low levels of lead and copper as represented by the regular sampling we are required to conduct (see annual water quality reports). The Town has no known full lead service lines but there are approximately 115 potential lead gooseneck locations (https://www.lslr-collaborative.org/intro-to-lsl-replacement.html) that are documented. This number decreases yearly as the Town continues to invest in the replacement of the older cast iron (CI) and asbestos cement (AC) mains.

Starting July 2022, Massachusetts Clean Water Trust and MassDEP began offering loans with 100% loan forgiveness for planning activities assisting all public water suppliers to complete planning projects for LSL inventories and for the development of LSL replacement plans. The MassDEP will accept loan applications on a rolling basis while funding is available.

As with other SRF related projects, the funding must be appropriated through borrowing. We are asking the Council to approve Resolution 22-69, to authorize the appropriation of $119,000 for this project.

Additionally, this resolution will authorize the Town Administrator to act as the authorized representative of the Town in connection with this application.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

The full memo and resolution can be found in this PDF -> 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HnaCcxZMallTMhzf_5KxofN7vXvBJ7vb/view?usp=share_link

The full Town Council agenda and documents released for Wednesday's meeting ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/november_2_town_council_meeting.pdf

Town Council asked to review and approve a new "Lead Service Line Inventory and Replacement Plan"

In the News: artificial turf, wood carving, Vallee, earmarks

By Gabriel Leiner/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 26, 2008 @ 11:46 PM

---

When synthetic turf fields soak up sunlight and reach high temperatures, some area officials and local residents believe there is a danger the fields can release chemicals into the air.

Weston Public Health Director Wendy Diotalevi said she has measured temperatures on the surface of Weston's artificial turf field on Wellesley Street at 122 degrees.

Last fall, Wayland resident Tom Sciacca said he measured a temperature of 142 degrees at the Wayland turf field surface.

Those reports prompted officials like Diotalevi, Franklin Facilities Director Mike D'Angelo and Wayland Health Director Steve Calichman to post warning signs at turf fields or consider running more tests on synthetic fields in their towns to see if chemicals are released when the turf heats.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

-----------------------------

By Heather McCarron

GateHouse News Service

Posted Apr 26, 2008 @ 07:42 PM

---

Franklin —

In the eyes of Basil LeBlanc, a piece of wood is never simply a piece of wood.

It’s a native warrior sitting with proud posture atop a strong horse.

It’s a majestic buck standing sentinel.

It’s a graceful bird, or a walking cane with butterflies fluttering about the staff.

For LeBlanc, wood is like a blank canvas that requires only his vision, and application of his various hand tools, to realize its artistic potential.

For more than 50 years, says the Franklin resident, woodcarving has been a passion.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

---------------------------

By Matt Kakley/Daily News correspondent

GHS

Posted Apr 26, 2008 @ 10:00 AM

---

BOSTON —

One local legislator is campaigning on Beacon Hill to bring money back to his district that would lead to new technology for a fire department, the completion of a senior center addition, and a memorial for veterans who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The items are among the nine earmarks state Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, filed to the House's budget proposal last week. Earmarks are a common way for legislators to bring state money back to their districts to pay for local projects.

"This is money that cities and towns don't have when they are struggling to meet expenses," he said. "These aren't things that I come up with, they're things that the towns have come up with."

Vallee has put in an earmark of $100,000 to bring new digital and wireless technology to the Franklin Fire Department. Fire Chief Gary McCarraher said it would allow the department to enter the modern era.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here