07/26/2022
Are you DRAMATICALLY conserving water yet ?!?!
(( You should be ))
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What follows is a public post from State Rep. Josh Cutler detailing efforts to deal with the current water-crisis (yes, that's what it is) facing a number of communities in SE Mass. [[We had FB Tech issues sharing this public post directly, thus the copy.]]
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Josh S. Cutler...
As most folks know we are currently experiencing a Level 2 severe drought in our region. This has led to some significant water restrictions and acute water supply issues in some communities.
In my district that includes the town of Pembroke which is experiencing a severe strain on local water supply and also discolored water. I have reached out to Mass DEP to ensure they are aware and in communication with the town. Our office also reached out to Pembroke Fire Department and they tell us they have contingency plans in place should the need arise in an emergency response scenario. I am grateful to them as well as our DPW and Water Departments for their efforts to manage a difficult issue.
There is a lengthy and complicated relationship of water management in our region. I’ve gotten several emails asking about this, so I wanted to share some brief background (Warning: it’s not really that brief!)
Thankfully we have a revived Central Plymouth County Water District Commission which helps to monitor water quality and facilitate water management among the eight member towns in our region (Towns of Pembroke, Hanson, Whitman, Plympton, Brockton, Halifax, East Bridgewater and Kingston.)
This commission had been inactive for many years. Starting back in 2014 our legislative delegation was successful in reviving the Commission and securing a modest level of state funding to support its activities (FY’15 budget). Much of the credit for that is owed to former Rep. Tom Calter. Since his retirement, the CPCDWD has continued to receive state funding, most recently thanks to an amendment from Sen Mike Brady. Our legislative delegation works together in a bipartisan way each year to support this. (I have secured some additional funding for Pembroke and Hanson ponds during that time as well.)
We are grateful to the County for assisting in this and to the volunteer members who serve on the Commission and also on the Advisory Committee. The Central Plymouth County Water District Commission continues to hold regular meetings and in fact has a meeting scheduled tomorrow. https://www.centralplymouthcountywater.org/
The other big development was in 2017, when the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection entered into a Consent Order with the city of Brockton relative to Monponsett Pond and their water diversion practices. This had been a bone of contention for a long period of time. The consent decree stated the following:
“The Order requires the preparation of a Resource Management Plan that will include recommended metrics and procedures for Silver Lake diversions and Stump Brook Dam operations that are intended to improve West Monponsett Pond's water quality and ecosystem while maintaining Brockton's drinking water supply system reliability.”
Clearly we all need to work together in this. There is no one solution to water supply and water quality issues. All of these pieces play a role. And there are now new concerns such as PFAS that we are now facing. Thankfully there are resources to help. One of these is the County ARPA program which includes federal funding for water and sewer infrastructure. https://www.plymouthcountyarpa.com/.../infrastructure.../
This is just a brief recap. The origins of all this date back to 1899, with some more “recent” changes in 1965. The town of Halifax has a very detailed 75-page history for those who would like even more info, and the CPWDC website also has lots of good information. I hope this post provides some helpful context.
In any case, we will continue to monitor this carefully and work with our relevant state and local officials to address our water supply issues. If folks have questions or need assistance please reach out to me or my team anytime. We are here to help! My email is [email protected] or also [email protected]. Our State House office is also fully staffed; the phone number is 617-722-2013.
Central Plymouth County Water District Commission
