Residents of J.E. Sarton Road and a committee member told the Health, Welfare and Recreation Committee on July 24 that lack of potable water is causing ongoing hardship and asked the county to supply pipe material for an extension of Manchester’s water main. The committee agreed to have county staff obtain cost estimates for 4-inch and 6-inch pipe and report back at the next meeting; no final appropriation or motion to fund the materials was recorded.

Several residents and neighbors described a longstanding reliance on a spring that yields low or muddy flows in dry periods. Nancy Bush, a J.E. Sarton Road resident, told the committee, “If my husband needs to take a shower, I can’t do laundry. I can’t wash dishes. I have to time things,” and she said sediment and rocks regularly damage household plumbing.

Committee discussion focused on two questions: whether the county should provide pipe materials to enable Manchester to extend its water line and whether the extension should be 4 inches (sufficient for service lines) or 6 inches (to support fire protection and improve insurance ratings). The committee was told Manchester officials have agreed to provide labor to install the line if materials are supplied, but the project would need engineering review and vetting, which increased earlier cost estimates.

The committee directed county staff member Tim to obtain current material prices, calculate footage and material totals for routes described by residents (options included a 0.9-mile run to a bridge or a 1.7-mile run to connect both ends), and return with an estimate and timeline for the next committee meeting in August. Members discussed equity and precedent concerns: some said supplying pipe for these residents could prompt many similar requests, while others said the county had furnished pipe for previous extensions and that denying this case would leave residents without potable water.

The committee did not take a formal vote to fund materials on July 24. The item will return to the committee after staff provides prices and a recommendation; the committee asked staff to also identify whether property owners could share costs and whether alternatives (such as filters or on-site storage) would be reasonable interim solutions.