Wayland DPW board approves $11,161 water abatement after burst barn pipe

WAYLAND — July 18, 2023 — Wayland DPW board approves $11,161 water abatement and hands ban authority to staff. The Board of Public Works voted Tuesday to abate $11,161.36 on a water bill for resident Helen Johnson, whose unheated barn pipe burst undetected after her husband's Alzheimer's diagnosis ended his daily visits; Chair Clifford Lewis abstained on the motion by Michael Wegebauer. Member George Uveges called the town's case-by-case abatement practice "arbitrary" and pushed for written standards before MWRA costs hit ratepayers. The board also authorized water superintendent Don to implement and lift the streamflow-based outdoor watering ban through 2023 after staff rescinded the current ban before a six-week minimum had elapsed. DPW Director Tom reported the MWRA is "strongly leaning" toward a Shaft L connection point that would eliminate a river crossing — a change Uveges said "saves us a million bucks easy" — and noted proposed DuPont and 3M PFAS settlements totaling $10 billion to $13 billion could offset Wayland's costs.