Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Water topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Old Colony regional water plan presented; committee endorses continued collaboration
Summary
The Finance Committee received a presentation of the Old Colony Planning Council regional water plan (2025) recommending short‑ and long‑term strategies, including maximizing desalinated water use, an integrated ecological assessment and regional coordination on PFAS management.
Representatives of the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC), consultant CDM Smith and the Brockton Department of Public Works presented the 2025 Old Colony regional water plan to the Brockton Finance Committee on June 2; the committee recommended the resolution favorably.
Mary Waldron (OCPC), Joanne Zygmunt (OCPC) and Kirk Westfall (CDM Smith) described a stakeholder‑driven, two‑year effort involving 17 municipalities to assess water availability, quality and resilience. The process included steering‑committee workshops, public consultations and surveys of more than 1,500 residents; stewards emphasized transparency and consensus in developing recommendations.
Kirk Westfall summarized technical findings: “over the next 25 years, we do expect through the region water demand to go down,” a projection driven in part by state regulations and higher‑efficiency fixtures. He and OCPC staff warned that demand declines do not eliminate risks: PFAS contamination, aging infrastructure, short droughts and ecosystem needs remain pressing concerns.
Short‑term and regional recommendations cited by presenters include maximizing use of desalinated water from the Aquaria plant where appropriate, pursuing an integrated ecological assessment to protect stream and river connectivity and coordinating regionally on PFAS management and funding. Long‑term options discussed included possible increased use of MWRA water for some communities and consideration of plant capacity expansion; presenters said the plan is consensus‑driven and non‑binding.
Committee members praised the report and suggested next steps: continued steering committee work, seeking funding for deeper analysis, engaging legislators and convening a follow‑up briefing in roughly three months. The committee recommended the resolve favorably to the full council.
