City committee moves forward with DEP feasibility application to study wastewater heat at Boston Post Road East

The Climate Resilient Council voted to move forward with a state-funded feasibility study to test whether wastewater heat near Boston Post Road East could be captured and used to heat and cool nearby housing.

A representative of Black Swan Labs told the committee that Phase 1 of the Massachusetts DEP program is a technical-assistance feasibility award “which is what you'd be starting with. It's a $15,000 grant,” and that the firm could draft the application and help the city answer basic sewer-flow and organizational questions. A Black Swan Labs speaker added that the program’s later phases can include design grants (up to roughly $100,000) and construction funding (awards of up to about $750,000) for competitive projects.

The committee focused on a specific possible demonstration: tapping a 30-inch sewer main that runs by the property commonly referred to as Countryside Village, in a section of Boston Post Road East that includes low-income housing. Chair of the Climate Resilient Council said the model under consideration would have the landowner or developer, municipal utility or another party install extraction technology and that a feasibility study would clarify technical viability and data needs.

Mayor Aki and President Hussain voiced caution about committing city staff time or municipal resources before the technical feasibility is clear. President Hussain said he was “very concerned about committing city resources when we really don't know what we want yet,” and urged the group not to ask department heads to lead an undefined project. The mayor likewise said he wanted answers on cost, liability and the city’s exposure before advancing further.

Black Swan Labs and committee members emphasized the feasibility step is intended as a low-risk first gate: the consultant said the study is largely technical (not financial), will take the town’s sewer-flow data and a short project narrative, and can be completed quickly. The firm said it could deliver a draft application within days and that DEP’s review typically takes about a month. The consultant recommended approaching the building owner early to confirm interest but said the feasibility work can begin with municipal data.

Committee members discussed ownership and revenue models, noting examples statewide and nationally where utilities, municipalities or private owners have played different roles. The group also reviewed comparable projects (including installations referenced in Framingham and Syracuse) and technical options such as effluent heat exchange or boreholes, and asked Black Swan Labs to include technical constraints in the feasibility scope.

On next steps, the committee agreed to have Black Swan Labs prepare the draft feasibility application up to the sections requiring city-specific DPW data; the municipal DPW will be responsible for completing and officially submitting the application. The draft will be circulated to committee members, the mayor and relevant staff for comment before submission. The committee did not approve any funding commitment beyond pursuing the DEP feasibility grant.

The council chair said the feasibility phase is a stepwise “gate” process—if the feasibility study finds the concept technically feasible, the committee will return to consider design and financing options; if not, the effort would stop. The meeting concluded with the group instructing Black Swan Labs to proceed with drafting and to route the draft to the DPW and committee for review and final decision.