Wellfleet Board of Health
Minutes of Meeting of March 15, 2004
Senior Center
Present: Lezli Rowell, Chair; Richard Willecke, Anne White, Ken Granlund, Jr.,
Alex Hay; Emily Beebe, Health Agent; Dale Donovan, Chair, Board of
Selectmen
Chair Rowell called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. The meeting was tape-recorded.
Board of Health Recommendation on Warrant Article (now #27) to fund siting, engineering services, and design for water tower, etc. This meeting was convened for discussion and decision on the BOH's recommendation of the above warrant article proposal to Town Meeting. (See minutes of meeting of 4-10-04.) Dale Donovan, Chair of the Board of Selectmen, attended the meeting to present the article and answer questions. The Chair thanked the Health Department for preparing and providing the Board with copies of the water system master plan. She stated that the article did not seem to be following the plan sequentially and questioned why a well relocation for compliant Zone I to serve existing Cole's Neck users would not be pursued before a water tank and new pump.
Health Agent Beebe answered that the version of the article that the BOH was provided with "lacked language" and that she had suggested to Tim Smith a wording clarification which would include addressing the relocation of the existing well or adding a well. The language change, which will follow "design of a water tower" in the text, will read "development of an additional well source at Cole's Neck wellfield…"
Richard Willecke felt that this proposal seemed to taking a piece from Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the master plan. Donovan referred to the Summary Explanation (Section 3.7) which notes that the system capacity could be increased up to a point. He explained that the town needed to decide whether to redo the 4" main or to go to another sizing altogether, adding that it is necessary to have a backup for a system with more people on it. The Chair stated that it was intended here to relocate the well, not to address the main sizing but to address the pump.
Willecke read into the record his prepared (previously distributed) statement of position in which, as a member of the Board of Health, he supported the article.
The Health Agent, discussing the motivation for the article, advanced two reasons for Willecke's question of "Why now?" Two public water supplies are currently in need of solutions to their water problems: "On the Creek Café" and Wellfleet Harbor Condominiums are both under Notice of Noncompliance from the DEP. The Chair asked about ruling out options as detailed in the NON's other than hooking on to the water system for these businesses; Beebe replied that there are no easy options and that the next move for the Harbor Condominiums may be to put together a lawsuit against the Town in order to go on the town water system. She added that their nitrate levels are consistently about 10 ppm.
Asked about the risks associated with high nitrate counts, Ms. Beebe replied that the primary risk is Blue Baby Syndrome, and there are studies in process on nitrosis in the intestine and intestinal cancers. Commenting on wastewater impingement upon wells, she noted that Wellfleet is looking at a pretty concentrated set of well problems with high nitrates in the Central District. As wells are moved, she added, these nitrate problems change location. From the public health perspective, the Town is looking at nitrate issues; from a fiscal point of view, at the cost of lawsuits. She reminded the Board that putting on users other than the town to the system will add users who will be paying capital costs of the project; in the Cole's Neck system, a flat fee for
hook-ups and a regular water rate is charged and the $1.4 million for the system is spread across the whole tax base.
The Chair, expressing herself more inclined to favor the big picture rather than two particular hardships, stated that she was still troubled with the eminent domain taking of a parcel of land proposed in another article (now #28) and suggested scrapping said article. Donovan, noting that the two articles were completely unconnected, explained that the eminent domain taking is of property that is in truth the Town's, that there is a need throughout the town for town-owned property, and that the eminent domain article does not require BOH approval.
Health Agent Beebe told the Board that Fire Chief Hight favors the funding article, feeling that a water tower will bring needed fire protection into the central village. Hight's "top two" site suggestions for the tower are Cole's Neck and the elementary school.
Chair Rowell stated that Tim Smith had made it clear in introducing the articles to the BOS that he wanted the eminent domain land for a water tower site; Donovan replied that Smith had no preference and would implement whatever the Board of Selectmen voted.
The Health Agent reiterated that the intent of the article being considered is to approve $150,000 for siting the water tower, moving the well, and putting a new pump on the well. Willecke queried why, if there were two good sites for the tower, the town needed to spend $100,000 to decide which site was better? He suggested that Environmental Partners should be asked to choose; Donovan replied that it was not up to Environmental Partners to decide where the tower would go but to look at various sites, to look down the road to determine where the system would go, what capacity would be needed, etc. This allocation, he added, was preferable to coming back time and again to the town for money for these studies; if all the allocated money was not spent, it would be turned
back for Free Cash.
Ken Granlund asked what would happen if the article language was changed after the BOH had voted its recommendation; Donovan replied that the specific wording of the BOH motion for recommendation was important. Granlund asked whether the BOH was being asked for a recommendation on the article for the proposed water system employee (now #6); Donovan replied that it was not.
Alex Hay, stating his intention to vote favorably on the article, noted that the water issue was tricky and that townspeople had valid concerns regarding cost; as a Board of Health member, however, he felt that a central water system was necessary to the public health and that educating the people concerning this was important.
Ken Granlund, also planning to vote in favor of the article, felt that the water tower itself is not a BOH issue as is the pump and suggested breaking these issues into two different articles. The Chair commented that Granlund would rather see the mechanics sorted from capacity issues; Donovan stated that the BOH could make any recommendation that it wished.
Chair Rowell moved that the Board of Health recommend the following article for the Town Meeting warrant: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds or borrow the sum of $150,000, or any sum, for the purpose of siting, engineering services as design of a water tower, development of an additional well source with compliant Zone 1 at Cole's Neck, and install a larger capacity pump at Cole's Neck, or do or act anything thereon. Willecke seconded; the motion carried unanimously, 5-0.
Anne White moved and Ken Granlund seconded adjournment; the meeting closed at 6:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
______________________________
Frances J. Castillo, Committee Secretary
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