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Geothermal test well to be drilled at Galvin site next week; committee warns neighbors about noise
Summary
The SBC heard a plan for an ~800-foot geothermal test well at the Galvin Middle School site: drilling is permitted, scheduled to begin Monday, will include a 48-hour conductivity test and may produce short-term noise (consultants estimated peaks around 85 dB).
Project representatives told the Canton School Building Committee Dec. 18 that the district received a permit from the Board of Health to drill a geothermal test well at the William H. Galvin Middle School site. The team said drilling is planned to start on Monday, with setup and temporary fencing in place; the initial bore of roughly 800 feet typically takes one to two days, followed by grouting and a five-day cure period before a 48-hour conductivity test.
Sydney (project representative) said the driller will set up on campus, that the rear parking lot will be closed for a few days, and that crews plan to work between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. "We don't anticipate any noisy activity except for that 24 48 hour generator," Sydney said, and later added, "This is gonna be loud." Project staff emphasized coordination with facilities staff (David), Cole Harrington as a drop-off partner and Brenda (Boris) to minimize disruption to school operations and student drop-off.
Leftfield, which has done similar test wells in residential areas, told the committee peak drilling noise can reach about 85 decibels — comparable to heavy traffic or a food processor — and said this level is within typical guidelines; the consultants noted hearing protection requirements typically begin at sustained exposures exceeding 100 decibels. The team proposed outreach measures — door-to-door notices, filming a short snapshot of drilling and a logistics plan shared with police and fire — and said a Consigli representative will be on-site full-time during drilling.
Committee members expressed concern for nearby streets such as Raven Road and asked whether the start time could be delayed; project staff said they will raise that with the driller and attempt to reduce community impact where feasible. The team expects to demobilize between phases, leaving only small-diameter pipes visible after the initial drill, and to report test results to the design team to inform the number and depth of wells required for the HVAC geothermal design.
The committee asked staff to notify neighbors and to document the work so residents can hear an accurate representation of expected noise and activity. No formal vote was required for the test well itself at this meeting.
