Cornish weighs costly filtration options after state designates springs as 'UDI'
Loading...
Summary
After the state designated several springs as "under direct influence" (UDI), Cornish council heard vendor estimates saying meeting the new treatment requirements could add roughly $300,000–$500,000 to the water project and eliminate reliance on gravity flow; council debated notices, lockouts and potential appeals.
Councilors spent a large portion of the meeting on the town rinking-water system after a state agency designated multiple springs as "under direct influence" (UDI), which requires more stringent treatment.
Town staff and two filtration vendors reviewed water-use data and treatment options. Chris (staff) presented multi-year usage trends showing seasonal peaks in July and August (roughly 3.4'.5 million gallons) and lower winter usage (about 1.5 million gallons). Vendors advised the town that UDI designation will likely require spring water to be chlorinated and filtered, and that moving away from gravity-only flow could add roughly $300,000 to $500,000 in capital costs.
Mayor described his written and oral exchanges with state staff about compliance steps. The state representative asked the town to physically disconnect springs from the distribution system and to issue a public notice; the mayor said he told the representative he would attempt to show a locked valve as proof of physical disconnection and resisted sending an immediate public notice, citing concern about causing unwarranted public alarm while springs were offline.
Council discussed strategies including asking neighboring systems whether they had the same designation, coordinating with statewide associations, and preparing a letter asking the state to apply the designation uniformly. Members noted litigation would be expensive and uncertain; several favored trying administrative or cooperative approaches first.
Council also discussed sequencing repairs and sample collection to avoid disruptions: members asked vendors to size treatment systems to the town verage and peak demands to avoid an overbuilt (and costly) system. Town staff said vendors and engineers will produce follow-up proposals and that the town will continue to pursue both technical solutions and a path for regulatory clarity.
Next steps: staff will get vendor proposals and documentation (including lock-out photos if feasible) to the state, survey nearby systems for UDI status and consider coordinated appeals or requests for reconsideration.
