This year, there is one candidate running for the position of Commissioner of the Acton Water District (AWD): Stephen C. Stuntz. This post contains Mr. Stuntz’s answers to questions prepared by the Green Acton Water Committee; the goal is to inform 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 2023 election, one candidate is on the ballot for one available Water Commissioner seat. 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. Local Election Day this year is Tuesday, April 25; more information for voters is here.
Mr. Stuntz was first elected to the Board of Water Commissioners 36 years ago, as reported in the 1987 AWD Annual Report. In that long ago year, issues of concern for the Commissioners included how to handle the monies received from the W.R. Grace settlement, and forecasting Acton’s future water supply and demand out to 2020. In that year, the AWD received the Outstanding Community Award for Best Exemplifying Water Supply Quality in the State of Massachusetts.
As it has done each year since 2018, 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 interpreted to be the positions of Green Acton.
Questions from the Green Acton Water Committee to 2023 AWD Commissioner Candidate Stephen Stuntz:
Q1: What do you think are your most important accomplishments over your years of service as an Acton Water District Commissioner, and what are your goals for the coming term?
A1: The most important accomplishment has been the hiring of the several excellent District Managers we have had. The District Manager is the person most responsible for building the staff and keeping the AWD at the forefront of water suppliers in the State.
After that, it has been important to be available to the public in order to keep their trust in the AWD as a supplier of a very important piece of the infrastructure critical to the health and safety of the community.
My goal for the upcoming term is to continue to serve the community. I believe that as the AWD goes through transition to new senior managers my long-term tenure will support them and help them adjust to the dailiness that is necessary in providing a service that the community needs on a 24/7 basis.
Q2: On March 14, 2023, the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. What are the implications of these proposed regulations for the Acton Water District and the residents and businesses of Acton?
A2: We are regulated by the State Department of Environmental Protection. The new federal standards will make everyone more aware of the need for responding to PFAS regulation and help us support the changes that will be dictated to us by our regulatory body. The cost of meeting these obligations will challenge the financial ability of those who are served by the AWD and will require additional efforts to offset these costs.
Q3: In the mid-1960s, the northeastern U.S. experienced a severe, extended drought. If there were to be another drought of this severity in the coming decade, how well prepared are the Acton Water District and the Acton region?
A3: We are well prepared to supply the health and safety of Acton. One test was in 2016 when we asked our customers to cut use and they responded by cutting use by over a half million gallons per day in a matter of days. It should be noted that local water use restrictions are driven by local conditions and state policies that are discouraging non-essential uses. Because Acton has programs in place and the wherewithal to implement and enforce, it positions us well to manage resources during drought periods. The pursuit of the bedrock wells in Acton Center will also help to buffer against changes in available water in the shallow aquifers we currently rely on.
Q4: Compared to surrounding towns, Acton has a relatively high fraction of its population who are renters rather than homeowners. The landlord is the AWD customer, and the tenants are one step removed from the AWD. For rental properties, how can the AWD encourage water conservation and ensure that tenants are well informed about water issues?
A4: Education to the public is the vehicle for all initiatives. More of our announcements are being made available to tenants by sending notices out to all postal patrons. We run educational seminars and other outreach events but it is hard to reach tenants, and homeowners who may be only transient to our community. We have seen greater turnover in our customer base making multi-year educational campaigns less effective. Rebate programs, including the bottled water rebate, have been adjusted so non-bill-paying customers may access them. Staff has also provided educational information to the management companies of multi-unit customers to benefit the renters and occupants of these buildings.
Q5: The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) recently published a scorecard that ranks states on how well their laws and policies advance water efficiency, conservation, sustainability, and affordability. Massachusetts ranks 13th in the nation and third in New England. Are there policies or laws that the Alliance advocates for that you think would be beneficial to Acton and the AWD? Are there any such policies or laws that you think would be detrimental? And why?
A5: The District is proud to be one of the few AWE members in the Northeast. The programs they advocate have mixed applicability and urgency in what is often considered the water rich Northeast. One of the important policies is coordination of land use and water planning. Although we hear a lot about this locally, AWE’s state report card has applicability when we talk about housing and economic development policies being implemented by the state that conflict with environmental policies, which are trending towards less water being allowed for human uses and increasingly strict water quality limits. AWD is already an active utility when it comes to implementing and advising at the state level on water loss control, water conservation planning, conservation rates, water efficiency being incorporated by building codes, and state funding of water efficiency programs.
Q6: In the coming years, the Acton Water District and the people of Acton may face a difficult decision about whether or not to join the Metropolitan Water Resources Authority (MWRA). What do you think would be a good process for arriving at such a decision?
A6: The best process is through the open meetings that we hold twice each month and the annual and special meetings that vote on the large expenditures of the AWD. This process would likely to be in two stages — the first would be the agreement to join in the MWRA expansion, and the second would be the decision to spend the money to integrate the water from the two systems. I don’t believe that this decision requires any special process in addition to the care we take with all decisions. The AWD will keep the public informed about the progress of this initiative through our educational channels.
The availability of water is critical to many operations of the Town and we are keeping the Select Board informed of what is happening with the MWRA. The Town is already part of the initial process. Having good information to act on is important and the AWD will continue to gather that information before any decision needs to be made. The MWRA will be committing substantial funds to building all the necessary pipelines and the MWRA will also be watching and helping that the appropriate decisions are made.