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Middleborough outlines South Wells consolidation, pilot work and SRF application plans
Summary
Commissioners were briefed on a proposed South Wells 2.5-million-gallon-per-day plant to consolidate five south-Middleborough wells, pilot testing challenges, and plans to apply for SRF funding in August 2025; town staff gave a $35–45 million range for combined Mazares/South Middleborough project costs.
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. — At the Jan. 29 Water and Sewer Commissioners meeting staff described plans to combine five south-side wells into a single South Wells water-treatment plant, to continue pilot testing, and to seek SRF (State Revolving Fund) funding starting with an SRF application planned for August 2025.
Leah, the project engineer, summarized the engineering rationale: combining a set of wells with varying iron, manganese and PFAS profiles requires a centralized filtration plant rather than treating each source separately. “When we lump it together, you have a 2,500,000 gallon per day plant, which is not a small plant,” Leah said.
Town staff described the proposed footprint and operational approach: they plan to use biological filtration for iron and manganese to match other town plants and granular activated carbon (GAC) or alternate media for PFAS removal. The draft facility footprint is roughly 9,000–10,000 square feet for a minimalist design; staff said they prefer the Miller site (about 18 acres) for the consolidated plant because it has sufficient upland area and fewer permitting constraints than other well sites.
Staff said pilot testing is ongoing and has encountered operational issues — the purpose of piloting is to discover treatment complications at a relatively small cost before committing to a multi‑million‑dollar plant. That pilot work is typical for a project of this scale, staff said, and is intended to inform the feasibility and final design.
On cost and schedule, staff reported a planning range: a combined Mazares (spelled variously in the meeting) and South Middleborough minimum project budget of about $35 million up to a maximum of $45 million; staff cautioned the range reflects alternatives and is a planning estimate. The project team recommended applying for SRF funding in August 2025; an SRF application on that timeline would place design and bidding on a multi‑year schedule, with construction likely in the 2027 timeframe under a typical SRF schedule.
Staff also warned about hydraulic impacts to the distribution system. Combining dispersed sources into a single high‑capacity pump location will increase flow and pressure demands in the distribution network, and the team is reactivating a hydraulic model to identify potential transmission and distribution upgrades — including possible new mains — needed to integrate the plant without causing pressure or water‑quality impacts.
Next steps: staff will complete pilot results and feasibility reporting, present a design-article recommendation to Town Meeting this spring (separate articles for East Grove and the South/Mazares work were discussed), and prepare an SRF application in August 2025 if the Board approves that schedule. Staff emphasized pilot findings will determine final treatment media and may affect whether smaller, lower-cost PFAS technologies can be used at specific well sites.
