Water Main Update Planned For Sea Camps

BREWSTER – The water commission and select board concurred Monday on using water revenue and free cash to fund the water main replacement design at the Sea Camps bay property.

  The project, which will look at design and permitting for a new water main, is estimated to cost approximately $100,000. The article headed to town meeting seeks $50,000 from free cash and $50,000 from water retained earnings. Voters will have a chance to weigh in on the funding as part of Article 7 at the Nov. 17 special town meeting. 

A water main coming east to west from Linnell Landing goes right through a coastal dune on the property. Town Manager Peter Lombardi said this is something that wouldn’t happen today. 

The project would abandon the current main in favor of a new main in a more stable and less sensitive location. 

The vulnerabilities in the current infrastructure mimic other water mains located in coastal dunes that have failed in recent years. After the value engineering team declared the project a priority, the town decided to be proactive in the proposal for the upgrades. 

At the start of discussions about the infrastructure, the town applied for a state grant through the Office of Coastal Zone Management for design and permitting, but ultimately didn’t secure the funding. Lombardi said the town will apply for a similar state grant soon, but cannot say with certainty that it will be approved. If the state grant is awarded to the town for the project, the funds from free cash and the water retained earnings will be returned. 

Additionally, if the grant funds are approved, it is likely the town won’t be able to start for another year, said Lombardi. Whether that would make sense is still being weighed, he added.

According to Water Superintendent Paul Anderson, a 2021 hydraulic and climate vulnerability assessment affirmed the need to address the infrastructure. This was prior to the purchase of the Sea Camps properties, which gave the town an opportunity to use town land to address some of the concerns, he said. 

Upgrading the water main and building it out on site would contribute to the improvement of the system as a whole, especially for the surrounding neighborhoods. 

At the community forum in September, residents were presented with the revised phasing and financing plan for the Sea Camps comprehensive plan. A few residents were interested in the new water main, as it would potentially run through their street. They asked if the upgrades would include additional fire hydrants. While no specifics could be provided at the time, the concerns will likely be addressed in the design phase. 

The estimated cost for the design and permitting phase was developed by Russ Kleekemp of consultant EDR. Lombardi said if all the funds are not used, the remaining money will be split evenly and returned to free cash and the water retained earnings fund.