Wayland MWRA water project pegged at $38.2 million in preliminary design

WAYLAND — July 15, 2025 — Wayland pegs MWRA connection and new treatment plant at $38.2 million. Kleinfelder's Kirsten Ryan presented the 30 percent design to the Board of Public Works on July 15, breaking the project into a $20.5 million MWRA interconnection — a 5,300-foot transmission main from Shaft L in Framingham, a 3.5-million-gallon-per-day Castle Road booster pump station and 7,700 feet of new 16-inch distribution main — and a $14.2 million Happy Hollow treatment plant with 80,000 pounds of granular activated carbon for PFAS removal. Treatment lead Tyler Bernier said the new clear well will fix a temporary rental system currently running near its 125 psi vessel limit. The figures include 20 percent design contingency plus a 10 percent SRF construction contingency and are funded through a 0 percent state PFAS loan. Chair George Uveges asked Kleinfelder to quantify how much of the distribution pipe would have to be replaced anyway, citing concern about "paying 20 plus million for 15 percent of our water." Construction runs 2027 to 2029. The board also heard that the $1.65 million Sherman Bridge repair will be split with Sudbury, with MassDOT contributing roughly $325,000 in materials.