LEVERETT — Several homes in Leverett near the Amherst town line whose drinking water is compromised by contamination from the capped landfill could eventually tie into the Amherst’s public water supply.
Five years after the idea was first considered, officials in Leverett are again having conversations with the Amherst Department of Public Works about what it would take to bring municipal water from Amherst to five affected Leverett residences on Cushman and Teawaddle Hill roads. Another 10 Amherst homes could also be added to the water system.
“We are talking to Amherst at this point,” said Leverett Select Board member Julie Shively in an email. “There have been some cost estimates, but nothing final.”
How such a project would be financed is not yet known, Shively said, but the town is working with the Franklin County Regional Housing Authority on the possibility of obtaining a Community Development Block Grant.
In 2011, when the issue was first brought to Leverett Town Meeting, the estimate for extending the water line was $1.7 million, with all costs to be covered by Leverett or other sources.
Leverett is already paying annual costs associated with the contamination from a plume that has come from the landfill, including elevated levels of manganese and dioxane, a carcinogen known to cause cancer. These costs include monitoring the landfill and doing well testing, and providing filters and bottled water.
Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman said a formal proposal has not yet been received by Amherst.
“If they request it, it’s something we’ll evaluate,” Bockelman said.
Even with the drought that has prompted Amherst to impose an extended water ban, Bockelman said the town could benefit by adding customers to the system. The existing water line ends on East Leverett Road a few hundred feet north of State Street.
Amy Rusiecki, assistant superintendent for the Department of Public Works, said about 10 Amherst homes could also be added to the water system if the line is extended north.
The other option Leverett is looking into is drilling a well that would serve the homes affected by the landfill contamination, though this would require establishing and hiring management for a municipal water department.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
