From the Town Administrator's FY 2027 Budget narrative, each department's story is worth sharing.
General Purpose
Use the highest levels of science, innovation, conservation and customer service to safely deliver, and bill accordingly over seven hundred million gallons of potable water to the residents, businesses and industries of Franklin.
Core Functions
● Wells/water facilities (23 sites)
○ Maintain chemical levels to State & Federal standards, daily pumping records, daily water testing, weekly water sampling and testing by certified lab, and monthly records reported to MassDEP. Maintain pumps, electric motors, telemetry, chemical feed systems, standby power supplies, buildings, security fencing, roadways and grounds.
● Water Meters (~10,000 accounts)
○ All residential, commercial and industrial water meters read quarterly. Maintain meters, water meter calibration, water meter replacement program,
final read inspections for homes over 20 years old, records for water meter installation, meter history and maintenance cards.
● Emergency twenty-four hour, seven days a week response/ customer service.
● Cross-Connection Control Program
○ Operate and maintain a cross-connection control program that oversees the testing and inspection of over 700 backflow protection devices.
● Water Distribution System Maintenance
○ Maintain and repair all of the Town's water mains, water service lines to and including the curb stop valves, and public hydrants. Perform annual hydrant flushing, valve exercising and annual leak detection to provide the Town with adequate flows and pressures for fire protection and domestic uses. Keep unaccountable water at a low percentage.
● Support Supplies & Equipment
○ Ensure the department has trucks, equipment, and a proper inventory of supplies for day-to-day operations and emergencies after hours.
● This department provides both technical and physical assistance to internal and external customers for public and private projects including plan review and permitting, and provides excellent customer service.
Staffing
The salary costs for the Director, Managers and Administrative Staff are shared between the DPW General Fund and the various Enterprise funds.
The Water Enterprise fund pays for 17.94 FTEs (the breakdown):
● Management & Administration: 3.69
● Engineering/GIS Staff: 2.20
● Administrative Support: 1.05
● Water Division Laborers: 11.0
Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments
● Increased Mass DEP and EPA regulatory activities; particularly as they affect municipal water, PFAS, iron and manganese levels, lead and copper testing, water service line inventory and water management act conservation requirements.
● Lead in organizing municipalities to coordinate involvement in response to unwarranted, detrimental, and non-funded DEP policy making.
● Continue to secure water for the Town’s future, by restoring capacity in existing wells (treatment plant, well redevelopment, water treatment etc.).
● Strengthen existing 'Water Smart' development standards to ensure sustainable water conservation and more effective localized groundwater recharge.
● Cultivate community-wide water conservation through education and enforcement. This strategy remains central to the Town’s recognized success in maintaining low residential per capita consumption.
● Sustain the Town’s robust leak detection initiatives to limit water loss and ensure our unaccounted-for water percentage remains industry-leading at less than 10%.
● Continued proactive meter replacement plan for accurate water billing. In addition, continue to invest in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to improve operational efficiencies and sustainability by effectively monitoring water usage and system efficiency, detecting malfunctions and recognizing irregularities.
● As part of our commitment to transparency and efficiency, 70% of the Town has been transitioned to hourly water reading collection. We encourage all residents to utilize the Franklin Water Department Consumer Water Portal to monitor usage, set custom consumption alerts, and proactively detect potential leaks. Activate your My360 account today to take control of your water budget and support Town-wide conservation.
● Capital Improvement Concerns that will likely affect water rates:
○ The Town currently utilizes two existing, riveted steel tanks at the Hillside distribution storage facility, Hillside Tank No. 1 was originally constructed in 1888 and Hillside Tank No. 2 in 1928. In 2022 the Town elected to pursue replacement of the two existing riveted steel tanks with one new welded steel tank with combined capacity of 1.7 million gallons. The new tank will be equipped with a mixing system. The design of the project has been advanced to 95% and will be shelved until the funding is available (estimated at $10.5 million).
○ The prior 5-year Water Main Replacement program is now complete. The next 5-year plan focuses on replacement of older Cast Iron (CI) and Asbestos Cement (AC) water mains. In addition, these proposed projects will aid the Town in replacing galvanized water services that are potentially connected with Lead Goosenecks. These water services are required to be replaced by 2037 per the EPA's Lead & Copper Rule Improvement (LCRI) regulations. The replacement of water mains in the areas of Park Road, Maple Street, Partridge Street., Meadow Parkway, and Pheasant Hill Road are being considered among others.
○ The Pleasant Street Tank, Forge Hill Tank, and Bald Hill Tank all require rehabilitation. Specifically, we are looking at reconfiguring the existing low
service area (Pleasant Street) system to eliminate "in series” pumping and remove the existing tank. At the Bald Hill and Forge Hill Tanks, rehabilitation includes cleaning and repairing the interior and exterior concrete structure; replacing the interior overflow pipe assemblies; and repairing the shell manholes which show extensive corrosion. These projects will reduce annual energy costs and eliminate the need for future tank painting, pump replacement, and other structural/architectural improvements associated with the existing Pleasant Street infrastructure. The needed maintenance will also provide resiliency to the existing infrastructure for continued operation now and in the future. The projected total cost for all 3 projects is approximately $11.5 million.
FY27 Requested Budget Highlights
● The FY27 budget was prepared as a “level service budget” to continue with residents' expected services. Exceptions include the following:
○ Account 517050 - Professional Licenses - Decreased $2,000 to align with the 5 year average.
○ Account 517195 - OPEB - Required increase in contribution
○ Account 521010 - Electricity - Increased $46,000 to account for inflation and align with 5 year average
○ Account 530700 - Architects and Engineers - Increase $10,000 to comply with Federal and State requirement to update Emergency Response Plan
○ Account 530950 - Consulting Services - Increase $10,000 to have consultant and lawyer assist with Water Management Act Renewal
○ Account 542010 - Office Supplies - Decreased $2,000 to align with the 5 year average.
○ Account 542080 - Office Equipment - Decreased $1,500 to align with the 5 year average.
○ Account 554010 - Construction Material - Decreased $5,000 to align with the 5 year average.
○ Account 554035- Chemicals - Increased $13,000 to account for inflation and operation of Well 7 in 2026/2027
● The FY27 personal services budget does reflect step raises and other contractual requirements for union employees as well as cola increases for non union staff. In addition, the budget includes a small increase for overtime.
FY27 Requested Budget Summary
Enterprise funds are accounted for separately from the General Operating Budget and are designed to be self-supporting through user fees and charges. As such, their revenues and expenditures do not impact the Town’s Operating Budget, as all costs are recovered within the enterprise fund rather than supported by general taxation.
The FY27 Water Department budget is a level-service request designed to maintain the high standards of safety, reliability, and conservation that Franklin residents expect. Approval of this budget ensures the continued delivery of over 700 million gallons of potable water while meeting increasingly stringent MassDEP and EPA regulations regarding PFAS, manganese, and lead.
Furthermore, these funds support critical infrastructure modernizations, such as the AMI meter system and leak detection programs that keep our water loss rates among the lowest in the State. A reduction in this requested budget would directly impact the community by delaying vital well capacity restoration and infrastructure repairs, potentially increasing long-term emergency maintenance costs and hindering our ability to proactively detect leaks and deliver safe drinking water, meeting all Federal and State Standards, to the residents of Franklin.
The PDF of this section -
For the full FY 2027 budget narrative - https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8912/FY27-Budget-Narrative-FINAL-1
The FY 2027 budget information can be found
