Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners
Senior Center Conference Room
Thursday, June 19, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Co-Chairs Emily Beebe & Moe Barocas, Celeste Makely, Julia Willecke
Co-Chair Moe Barocas called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m.
DEP Definition of Approved Capacity
Barocas read a letter from Mike Quink of the Department of Environment Protection (DEP) to the Health Agent dealing with peak demand. Nothing in the letter was a sign off on 37,500 gpd capacity. The four inch line that reduces to a two inch meter was referred to as the source of some pressure drop. There still needs to be a test at peak time to determine true capacity.
Emily Beebe recused herself and left the meeting.
Bookstore Restaurant
Barocas said he’d like to see double plumbing at the Bookstore. The Bookstore’s existing well and the Town water supply would both be used: the well feeding the toilet system and water system supplying the potable water. There are no regulations for double plumbing using a public water system, according to Tim Brady of East Cape, who is representing the Bookstore. Brady asked about the available water that is flushed out at the end of the line. Carolyn Parlante mentioned the hook-ups in Provincetown that use double plumbing. Barocas had new figures from WhiteWater on 2007 gpd usage. The WhiteWater numbers are actual usage figures. Tim Brady explained the reverse osmosis system in use at the Bookstore which filters salt out of their well system.
Barocas distributed another memo from Health Agent Hillary Greenberg to the Water Commissioners regarding water for the Bookstore. Greenberg states in the memo that she would like to see more expert support for the concept of double plumbing before her reservations were dispelled.
Barocas wanted to know if the Parlantes were interested in a double plumbing system. Brady had mapped the waiting list for water hook-ups in their order of need. Mark Vincent said there are other requests for hook-ups besides the original list that Brady had used for plotting properties. The Bookstore could take precedence because of its location at the end of the line where flushing takes place. Hooking up the other properties would not help with flushing for the PH level.
Barocas asked the Parlantes to have a design of double plumbing prepared that the Water Commissioners could present to the Board of Health for approval. Tim Brady said they will come back to the next BWC meeting. Brady explained the DEP’s determination on the Bookstore septic system. Mark Vincent said that there was no guarantee that the Town could grant the hook-up. Brady said there had been discussion at one time of a harbor area septic system. Barocas expressed interest in getting the Bookstore hooked into the water system, but he said that the double plumbing option has to be explored first. Barocas suggested that the plumbing plan be submitted to the Health Agent. The Parlantes and Tim Brady will return at the next meeting July 3, 2008.
Emily Beebe returned to the meeting.
Regular Meetings & Work Sessions
The extra work sessions will be devoted to determining connection fees. Wednesday mornings between 8 and 9 a.m. are the best time for the Board. The first meeting will be Wednesday, June 25, 2008. They will bring the map with the hydrants, the Brewster water system material, and an updated list of people requesting hook-ups. The work sessions will take place every other week.
Emily Beebe will go through the recent memos to coordinate usage figures and capacity numbers for the first work session. Residential equivalents and historic usage will also be examined. The household equivalents were based on the original system, Mark Vincent said. Mark Vincent will provide actual usage numbers from meter readings for the next meeting. Beebe discussed the idea of a seasonal rate. It would encourage conservation and contribute to paying for the system, Beebe said. Vincent explained that the system at this time is not paying for its operational costs mainly because of the small number of hook-ups.
Mail
Mark Vincent quoted from an old letter from the DEP dated March 20, 2003 on water capacity. An average of 20,000 gpd would be allowed. The 37,500 gpd is a recommendation based on hydraulic specifications.
Agenda Action List
The items on the Agenda Action List were reviewed and updated for further work.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________________ __________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Moe Barocas, Co-Chair
__________________________
Date
The BWC approved these minutes at the meeting held July 3, 2008.
| 
