Consultants outline multimillion-dollar needs for Alton water system; selectmen accept $30,000 DES grant for tank study

Consultants from Ty and Bond told the Alton Selectmen on Feb. 11 that the town’s drinking-water system faces a mix of deferred maintenance and assets that need targeted replacement, and that addressing the work will require prioritization, additional funding and continued meter installation.

Ty and Bond’s project manager, Dan Roop, said the firm completed an inventory and condition assessment of Alton’s distribution and vertical assets and used a risk-based method to prioritize projects. “The town received an $88,000 grant for Ty and Bond to complete this work, working with Courtney and her department,” Roop said.

Roop and the team emphasized the Bay Hill storage tank as a top concern after reviewing in-tank inspection videos that show floor cracks, wall cracks and interior corrosion. Product engineer Jess de Jesus described the inspection findings and the firm’s approach to ranking assets by probability and consequence of failure. The consultants recommended an alternatives analysis to decide whether to repair or replace Bay Hill and asked the town to evaluate fire flow, capacity and redundancy across the system.

Rate specialist Joshua Bouchard presented a funding model…