Q&A with 2022 candidate for Acton Water District Commissioner

There is one candidate this year for the position of Commissioner of the Acton Water District (AWD): Barry Rosen. This post contains Mr. Rosen’s answers to questions prepared by the Green Acton Water Committee to inform the voters about some current issues and opportunities facing the District, and the candidate’s thoughts on how to address them.

The Acton Water District is an independent government entity, separate from Acton’s municipal government. As such, it is led by a Board of Water Commissioners, analogous to the Acton Select Board; both serve as the executive bodies for their respective entities. The three elected Water Commissioners serve three-year terms of office. In the 2022 election, one candidate is on the ballot for one available Water Commissioner seat. Mr. Rosen was first elected to the Board of Water Commissioners three years ago, and for the last year has chaired the Board. He is also a member of the Water Resources Advisory Board (WRAC), which is an Acton Town committee.

Local election day in Acton is Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Vote-in-person polls will be open from 7am to 8pm in the RJ Grey Junior High School gymnasium at 16 Charter Road. AWD Commissioner candidates appear on the same ballot as the candidates for Town of Acton positions. Anyone eligible to vote in Town of Acton elections can vote for AWD Commissioner; you do not need to be an AWD customer.

As we have done each recent year, the Green Acton Water Committee prepared a set of questions for the candidate, which he answered in writing. For comparison, links to the analogous Q&As from previous years can be found here. The answers have been printed verbatim as provided by the candidate, and should not be understood to be the positions of Green Acton.

Questions from the Green Acton Water Committee to 2022 AWD Commissioner Candidate Barry Rosen:

Q1: Acton, along with many Massachusetts towns, is dealing with PFAS contamination in the public water supply. What additional steps do you think the AWD should take over the next three years to keep the water supply safe from PFAS and other contaminants?

A1: Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become an environmental problem throughout the U.S. These [hu]man-made products last a long time and have been found in many products and places, including cooking utensils, food packaging, water resistant clothing, stain protectors, rainwater, lakes, and groundwater. Acton obtains its water supply from groundwater, and unfortunately, PFAS has been detected in varying amounts in Acton’s groundwater. The question of how to “keep the water supply safe from PFAS and other contaminants” is a very complex one. What is the safe level for a particular contaminant? There is no consensus on “safe levels” for most contaminants. The AWD must follow the MassDEP regulations that define the “maximum contaminant level” (MCL) for regulated substances. For the group of PFAS, it is likely that regulations for water suppliers will become more stringent. Perhaps the allowable level will decrease and/or more PFAS substances will be regulated, making it increasingly difficult for public water suppliers to comply. With these uncertainties, the Acton Water District (AWD) needs to consider multiple strategies to produce sufficient water for Acton’s residents. The District will need to continue to explore both existing and newly introduced technologies that could assist in mitigating contaminants. The first piloting tests for PFAS mitigation have been performed at the North Acton Water Treatment Plant, resulting in solutions that are acceptable to the MassDEP. This successful testing will allow the AWD to implement the approved mitigation at this treatment plant. The pilot tests for PFAS mitigation will have to be performed at each of the AWD water treatment plants to receive MassDEP approval to allow implementation. We also expect to examine the availability, feasibility, and implications of obtaining a suitable water source outside of Acton.

Q2: The cost of supplying water to Acton is going up, as more wells and more ambitious treatment systems are brought on line. How would you like to see those new costs accommodated?

A2: The cost of supplying water has increased, and I expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable future. This has been caused by several factors, including increases in the supplies utilized, the purchase of lands to protect the water supply, vehicle expenses, the cost of energy, and the amount of testing and treatment required to deliver quality water to the public. In addition, the AWD has built new water treatment plants to remove contaminants — each costing many millions of dollars. The AWD has funded its capital expenses by seeking loans at the best possible rates available. The District has been able to maintain an AA+ credit rating, which has permitted it to obtain money from lenders at very favorable rates. It has been awarded this rating because the loan market has a great deal of confidence in the AWD’s ability to pay back its loans at the negotiated rates and terms. Those terms currently have the AWD charge each of its rate payers an equal debt fee on each water bill to cover the quarter’s debt payments to the lenders. I would like to consider some alternative methods of charging the rate payers for new debt that would satisfy the requirements of our lenders so that the District will preserve its credit rating and not have to pay higher interest rates. The AWD Commissioners and the AWD Finance Committee have already begun discussions of alternatives.

Q3: At Acton Town Meeting in September 2020, the residents of Acton declared “that a Climate Emergency threatens our town… and that mobilization to meet this challenge is both an imperative and an unprecedented opportunity.” What do you think the AWD should do in response to the Climate Emergency?

A3: The AWD has been reacting to the climate change emergency for some time. Many of the pumps utilized throughout the District have been replaced over time by more efficient variable speed pumps which can be operated at the speed required, thus using only the electrical energy necessary. The new Central Acton Water Treatment Plant was designed to be energy efficient and to utilize electricity for most of its heating and cooling requirements. It does have the MassDEP required backup electrical generator which is fossil fuel powered. The AWD has one photovoltaic (PV) solar array (Lawsbrook Road) under construction which will begin supplying some of its power to the AWD to satisfy a portion of the District’s needs. The Commissioners have signed another contract for a second PV solar array (Knox Trail). The AWD will purchase all the power generated by the Knox Trail PV for its operations. I expect that the commissioners will continue to examine electric and hybrid electric vehicles as replacements for those that have reached “end of life” for District use. As the technology used in electric vehicles matures, and the costs and performance are closer to that of gas/diesel equipment, I hope that more of them will be suitable for use by the AWD’s construction and repair crews. This would allow the District to continue to reduce its carbon footprint.

Q4: In the mid-1960s the northeastern U.S. experienced a severe drought, as recounted by the New England Historical Society. How well would the Acton Water District be prepared to deal with a future drought as severe as the 1960s drought?

A4: The question of how well the AWD would be prepared to respond to a drought that the historians’ forecast — “…will probably be several centuries before the Northeast United States again suffers anything like the 1965 drought” — is a question that given the time span requires a theoretical answer. I cannot forecast the MassDEP regulations or the water supplies that will be available to the AWD for even the next five years. As previously stated, the AWD will be examining possible water supplies both inside and outside the Town of Acton. Currently, all the AWD water supply comes from shallow water wells (sand/gravel) which are greatly dependent on snow melt and rain infiltration into the groundwater. The AWD will also consider the use of deeper wells (bedrock wells) which are not as rapidly influenced as shallow wells by precipitation. The Town of Acton’s wastewater policies also influence the health of the water supply. Policies for reusing water help to conserve water and allow the aquifers to remain well supplied. In the past, during periods of lower-than-normal precipitation, the AWD has asked residents to observe water restrictions. The MassDEP also monitors the statewide water environment and can require public water suppliers to implement conservation measures when appropriate.

Q5: The most recent update of the AWD Master Plan drew on a variety of expert sources to forecast that Acton’s population growth would slow after 2015 (see pages 3-4 to 3-6), and that the projected population for 2026 would be 22,649. In fact, the 2020 census showed that population growth continued unabated (see graph below), and that by 2020 the population had already reached 24,012. What steps could the AWD consider to meet the Town’s water needs if this growth rate continues?

A5: The population models that have been applied to Acton have not worked as well as the models that have been used in some neighboring towns. This has been verified by the recent work performed by the Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC). The WRAC recommended that the town hire an expert consultant to work with the WRAC to develop a population model that will better reflect Acton’s growth. This new model may be able to provide a better forecast to both the Town of Acton and the AWD of future water demand. Since a town’s population is a direct influence on water demand, there needs to be a partnership between the AWD and the town to understand each other’s goals and needs, and the constraints affecting population growth. It is important to understand that the Acton Water District, like other public water suppliers, is governed by the Massachusetts Water Management Act and the regulations of the MassDEP, which govern the amount of water that the AWD is permitted to pump independent of available supply. I believe that the AWD should continue to work with the Town, both at the staff and board levels. It is essential that Acton’s residents understand that the Town of Acton largely controls the population growth of our town as it is responsible for:

• zoning regulations, which determine how much and what type of development is allowed in each area of town
• groundwater protection zoning and enforcement
• number and types of building permits issued
• exceptions to zoning

The Town of Acton has the tools to influence growth and population. As the public water supplier, the AWD identifies and develops sources of water, and delivers the water to its water takers. The District has an active water leak detection program to detect and eliminate water loss from the infrastructure. The AWD will also continue to utilize educational programs in the schools to help young people learn about the hydrologic cycle in the community and how to contribute to water conservation efforts. The AWD continues to offer rebates to encourage water takers to purchase water conserving washers, faucets, toilets, and showerheads. These programs have been successful in helping to reduce water demand.