Wayland DPW board reviews MWRA pipeline alternatives, pump station sites

WAYLAND — July 16, 2024 — Wayland's Board of Public Works reviewed engineering alternatives for its permanent MWRA connection and weighed a free transfer-station pass. Kleinfelder project engineer Mike Sanders said geotechnical crews began roughly two weeks of drilling at six locations up to 150 feet deep to test whether a horizontal directional drill — running about 3,300 feet at depths near 100 feet — can replace an open-cut pipeline, calling both options "feasible and constructible." A Confluence water-quality study recommended raising Happy Hollow's pH above 8.2 and converting the plant to chloramines to match MWRA water, which runs above pH 9. DPW Director Tom Holder said construction funding will be sought at May 2025 town meeting, with the town's five-year MWRA entrance-fee waiver granted 18 months ago. Holder also reported 803 transfer-station stickers sold versus 925 a year earlier, and credit-card processing costs near 10 percent per transaction. The board unanimously authorized Chair George Uveges to sign cemetery deeds.