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Board hears taste-and-odor complaints and rising concern over aging treatment infrastructure and reservoir levels
Summary
Staff reported a recent taste-and-odor episode in the Westfield area that prompted flushing and use of powdered activated carbon; staff urged evaluating modern treatment technology and noted reservoir levels are lower than average, which complicates treatment and fire-draft planning.
Staff told the board that recent taste-and-odor complaints in the Westfield area prompted a multistep response: crews flushed the system, opened hydrants and used powdered activated carbon to treat water in the short term. "We flushed and tried to get it out of the system. And we also added what's known as powdered activated carbon," a staff member said while describing the response.
Board members and staff said the town's reservoirs and treatment systems are aging and sometimes shallow, reducing resiliency during warm, dry periods. Staff recommended piloting modern treatment technologies and evaluating long-term upgrades: the treatment plant's last major work dates back decades, and staff warned those aging components contribute to recurring taste-and-odor and algal issues.
