DPW official says casino's arrival will benefit Taunton water service
By Charles Winokoor
TAUNTON —
DPW water division supervisor Cathal O’Brien isn’t interested in discussing the pros and cons of gambling.
But he doesn’t mince words when outlining anticipated benefits, in terms of water service to nearby residents — in the event that a proposed Mashpee Wampanoag resort casino in East Taunton becomes a reality.
Any water-related infrastructure improvement, he says, bodes well for improving service to existing residential and commercial customers, O’Brien said.
“It will be the best thing that ever happened to Taunton water, if they (the tribe) comply with the requirements — and I’m sure they will,” he said.
Ayup! Just as they did in Middleboro!
The city, according to the Department of Public Works, now uses an average of 5.75 million gallons of water per day drawn from Assawompsett Pond in Lakeville and Middleboro.
Ignoring in the consideration has been the regional flooding of the Assawompsett Pond Complex, pictures preserved on the link below.
The advent of the $500 million casino complex will increase demand by an estimated 220,000 gallons per day, according to an evaluation report issued by CDM Smith, the engineering consultant hired by the city as part of an intergovernmental agreement with the Indian tribe.
O’Brien stands by that estimate. He also says the pond complex has more than enough water to spare.
“It shouldn’t be a problem. It’s so small we don’t believe it will have an impact,” he said.
The CDM Smith report recommends a new 16-inch water main be installed and connected to an existing 24-inch main in Middleboro Avenue to ensure adequate fire-protection water flow, not just to an emergency entrance on Hart Street but also at the main entrance on Stevens Street.
O’Brien said he’s got his own wish list he hopes eventually will be part and parcel of any final water-main plan, including a new main running to Harts Four Corners.
“We’ve had some issues with rusty water” in that part of East Taunton, said O’Brien, who added that an upgrade will rectify previous problems of pressure and purity.
The intergovernmental agreement stipulates $14.8 million in mitigation compensation to the city, including $2 million for water service.
O’Brien stressed that the water division’s principal objective is to ensure there be “no negative impact on existing customers.”
David Hewett, of Epsilon Associates, the consulting firm hired by the tribe to compile impact reports for state and federal environmental agencies, said the procedure behind calculating water needs is not mysterious.
“It’s like a cook book,” he said, based on the number of hotel rooms, square footage of retail space and seats in restaurants and other areas.
Epsilon is responsible for preparing an environmental impact report as per the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act, and an environmental impact statement as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
O’Brien said the resort’s water requirements wouldn’t affect existing wells in the area, in part because the proposed site in the Liberty and Union Industrial Park is mostly upstream from the Cotley River.
He also said the aquifer from which private well owners draw water wouldn’t be compromised.
O’Brien points out that the 800-plus-acre Myles Standish Industrial Park encompasses two healthy wells that used to be part of the Paul A. Dever State School property, and that BJ’s Wholesale Club across the street sits partially on an aquifer that is in good shape.
As for a resort casino water park, he stressed that the water would not be replaced on a continual basis and instead would essentially be recycled.
And, although the scale is significantly different, O’Brien compared it to the swimming pool at Hopewell Park in terms of demand.
Email Charles Winokoor at cwinokoor@tauntongazette.com.
Read more: http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x739402731/DPW-official-says-casinos-arrival-will-benefit-Taunton-water-service#ixzz22gEVXpz8
Great location!
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