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Lakeville and Taunton discuss raising daily water allotment and infrastructure questions
Summary
Town staff reported Taunton may increase Lakeville’s daily water allotment from 300,000 to 400,000 gallons and will provide GIS consumption reports; board members discussed master-meter developments, the LaBaron Hills and Clark Shores infrastructure concerns, and the need for an updated allocation map.
Select Board members and town staff updated the board on Dec. 16 about ongoing talks with the City of Taunton over intermunicipal water service. Town Administrator Andrew reported Taunton signaled willingness to increase Lakeville’s daily allotment from 300,000 to 400,000 gallons, subject to mayoral approval, and offered to provide water consumption reports and a GIS map of existing infrastructure.
"They're open to giving it up to 400,000 if we so choose," Andrew said, noting the town currently uses roughly 150,000–160,000 gallons per day and several large projects (including the Lakeville Hospital site) will increase demand. Board members recommended cleaning and updating the town’s allocation records to accurately reflect assigned and used capacity.
Discussion turned to complex, longstanding infrastructure issues in master‑metered developments such as LaBaron Hills, where Taunton lacks detailed as‑built records and has concerns about materials, shut-off locations and water‑quality control beyond the master meter. Taunton officials said taking over such infrastructure would require investigation, potential meter replacement, and clarity on responsibilities and costs.
Board members also raised Clark Shores/Long Pond water quality concerns and the prospect of a regional approach to buy or upgrade subdivisions’ water infrastructure, noting that such efforts could add many customers but also require substantial investment and agreement on who pays for repairs or upgrades.
The Select Board asked staff to continue the dialogue with Taunton, obtain the draft intermunicipal agreement for legal review, and to compile a cleaned-up allocation list and GIS mapping for the town’s water infrastructure.
