Hopkinton tables award of water-system management contract amid testing and billing questions

The Hopkinton Town Council on March 17 voted to table consideration of awarding the town’s water‑system management contract to Northeast Water Solutions Incorporated until its next meeting on April 7.

Town staff described the town’s three independent water systems — Bridal/Bridal Field, the Waterline served from Richmond, and Town Hall/Crandall House — and said state Department of Health testing requirements, a recent lead finding at the Crandall House and an outstanding relationship for capital costs with Richmond prompted caution before awarding a new contract.

Staff told councilors the Crandall House currently faces an elevated testing schedule because of a lead finding; the bid packet cited a current-year testing estimate for the Crandall House of $14,503 if the town must continue biweekly (26 tests per year) testing indicated by the Department of Health. Other testing (lead/copper, fluoride, nitrate and synthetic-organic compounds) is performed on multi‑year cycles; if subsequent clean reports are obtained, the town could return to quarterly testing and materially reduce testing costs. Staff also noted a possible PFAS testing requirement that, if triggered, would add roughly $1,500 annually for quarterly PFAS testing.

Councilors also raised billing and capital-allocation issues tied to the waterline that serves Hopkinton customers from the Richmond master meter. The town and Richmond previously agreed that Hopkinton would assume roughly 16.4% of certain Richmond capital costs based on usage; staff warned that if the town’s largest water user (the Hope Valley School, discussed elsewhere in the meeting) were to close, Hopkinton’s share of usage would change and the council should discuss potential rate restructuring so remaining residents will not shoulder disproportionate capital costs.

Councilor questions and one councilor’s request for more time to read bid materials led to a motion to table the award to the April 7 council meeting. Staff reported checking references for Northeast Water Solutions and said Richmond has used that firm for about two years with positive experience; still, members requested additional bid documentation and time to review.

Why this matters: water-system management affects regulatory compliance, testing frequency and town costs. A change in the town’s largest water consumer or additional testing findings could increase annual operating and compliance costs for residents, and the council asked staff to return with detailed bid documents and cost scenarios before finalizing an award.

Next steps: Northeast Water Solutions remains a candidate; the council asked the town manager to provide full bid materials, references and updated cost estimates and to discuss capital‑allocation questions with Richmond’s town manager (Karen Pinch) before the April 7 meeting.