Engineer outlines North Monmouth water project to address PFAS contamination

Dan Wells, an engineer with Durago Engineering, told the Monmouth Select Board at a required public hearing that the project will extend potable water mains down Main Street and onto side streets to serve homes in North Monmouth affected by PFAS contamination. "This project will put water lines in those areas," Wells said, adding the design work began the week before the meeting.

Wells said the team has put together a grant package that currently covers about $10.1 million of the work, while a "probable cost" estimate he compiled is about $11.2 million. He described multiple funding sources included in the application and said final numbers will be refined after survey and environmental review work. "Once we get all that information, we can get some real numbers and real cost of what this is gonna cost," he said.

Wells described engineering choices the team is evaluating, including upsizing pipe to maintain required fire flows for a local mill and possibly using larger pumps in lieu of an elevated tank to meet fire-protection demands. He said hydraulic analysis is underway to decide between 8-inch and 12-inch mains and that maps and a public meeting in North Monmouth will follow as design progresses.

Board members and residents pressed for specifics about who would be required to connect, what hookups would cost and the timeline. Wells said connections would be voluntary and that hookup work and meter installation for participating homes are included in the project scope. He estimated roughly 150 homes in the service area, with about 80 households expressing interest so far; he noted hookup take rate will affect some per-household cost assumptions.

On schedule, Wells said engineering and surveys should be complete by September–October, then the project will go out to bid with construction beginning the following year. He projected homes could be connected in about three years if all proceeds according to plan.

The board closed the public hearing after the discussion and asked staff to continue refining the application and provide public meeting details for residents.