Wayland Public Works defers MWRA capital request to future town meeting

WAYLAND — October 17, 2023 — Wayland defers MWRA capital request and confronts a 40 percent unbilled water gap. The Board of Public Works confirmed Tuesday it will not bring a construction appropriation for the town's permanent MWRA connection to annual town meeting in May 2024, with Director Tom saying defendable figures from engineering firm Kleinfelder will not be ready until next fall and pushing the article toward fall 2025. A separate water financial model showed the town produced 570 million gallons last year but billed only 293 million; about 11 percent is unaccounted-for loss, the rest "authorized unbilled" uses. Back-of-envelope math during the meeting pegged production cost at roughly $11.17 per hundred cubic feet against a tier-one rate of $6.09. Chair Clifford Lewis warned that with MWRA water "you just can't waste a drop." The PFAS resin replacement at Happy Hollow is budgeted at $200,000, with the ECT2 lease at $10,700 monthly expiring in June 2024.