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Groveland’s $44.6 million water-treatment plant moves toward permitting amid flood-zone concerns
Summary
Voters approved a $44,600,000 treatment plant in April 2025 to address minerals and PFAS in Groveland’s water; the town has hired a contractor and is filing permits, but residents and commissioners have raised flooding and site‑selection concerns that the conservation commission will review July 8.
Groveland voters approved a $44,600,000 water-treatment plant at the April 2025 town meeting, and town officials say the project has moved into design and permitting with a contractor now hired.
Lee Thomas, guest host, said the project will be funded by a 30-year loan that includes participation from the state revolving fund and that the town must reapply annually for the state portion. The town’s water and sewer superintendent, Colin Stokes, told the town at the meeting that an expected $32.50 per quarter increase in water bills in 2027 would cover design, engineering and permit costs.
The treatment plant is intended to reduce elevated minerals such as iron and manganese and to remove PFAS — a man-made pollutant regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency — to levels the town calls acceptable. Beth Greenhagen, co-host, said the plant’s treatment processes will bring those contaminants down to regulatory targets.
The proposed site is in the Pines Recreation Area along the Merrimack River next to the new skate park. Some residents and observers have raised concerns that the location could be vulnerable to future flooding on the Merrimack and that alternate sites outside flood-prone areas were not fully evaluated during planning.
Because the proposed site is near floodplain areas, the Groveland Conservation Commission will review permit applications and is scheduled to decide whether to issue permits or deny them at its July 8 meeting. Town officials said plans are ready and permits are being filed while the commission’s review proceeds.
What happens next: the town will pursue required permits and finalize design work; the July 8 conservation-commission meeting is the next scheduled public decision point on whether the proposed site can proceed through permitting.
