Agreement announced to design Londereerry water main; town and company to share costs

Mike (DEES) told the commission that DEES, the town of Londereerry and the responsible company reached an agreement to design and install a water main intended to provide alternate water service for properties inside the consent-decree area and to increase capacity east of High Range Road. He said the immediate project to design and install the water main is expected to be about $4.3 million; under the agreement the company will pay roughly $1.7 million and the town will use a mix of ARPA and drinking-water trust funds for the remainder.

Mike said the design and installation of the main will increase capacity east of High Range Road and create a basis for later extensions west into neighborhoods under the consent decree. He estimated the later buildout to reach all identified west-side connections could be on the order of $20–30 million and that the company will bear responsibility for that work under the agreement; the work will be done over several years.

Don, reporting on separate but related developments, told commissioners that the Marramac/Borough District (MBD) recently approved two water-main extension projects at its annual meeting—one project costing about $3.9 million and another estimated around $3.3 million—together providing roughly 120 potential connections. Don said MBD expects to use a mix of drinking-water SRF loans/grants and settlement proceeds (3M/MDL funds applied to debt reduction) to free capital for the extensions; design work will begin and construction is likely late this year or next.

Why it matters: the water-main work provides a long-term, public-water remedy for many affected properties and is a critical alternative to long-term POET reliance where feasible. The agreement shifts responsibility for larger buildout costs to the company and leverages state and local funding sources to reduce up-front costs for municipal utilities.

Next steps: design work will begin with DEES and company coordination; DEES said work in the consent-decree areas will proceed while the company and town finalize schedules and contracts.