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Status
Key efforts since last fall have been directed at
funding, permitting, and getting the project out to bid. Highlights
include:
- The project received the water source permit, Act
250 permit, and VTrans right-of-way permits;
- The project received its Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
EPA
letter (1 pg, 244 KB) 
EPA FONSI
(1 pg, 450 KB)
- We learned that a state potable
water and wastewater permit is required for each hookup
to the system;
- Customers who commit to connecting prior to September
30, 2010 will save significantly on their connection
costs;
- The
Town has committed to putting connection stubs to all
properties on Route 100 in Irasville and Waitsfield Village;
- The
Town hired Henry Erickson as the Municipal
Project Manager for the duration of the project;
and
- The
project is out to bid!
Project
is Out to Bid!
The
project was advertised for bids
on August 1, 2010. It is broken up into five separate
contracts. Contract 1 is to construct the water distribution
system and hydrants in Waitsfield Village and Irasville. Contract
2 is to build the distribution system and hydrants to the
storage tank. Contract 3 is to build the storage tank.
Contract 4 is to build the transmission main from the
tank to the well. And Contract 5 is to build the well
house. Bid opening for contracts 1 and 2 is September
2 and is August 31 for contracts 3, 4, and 5. The staggered
opening dates is to help contractors assess whether to bid
on more than one contract. The goal is to begin construction
this fall and continue through next year's construction season.
We are encouraged by the numbers of property owners
who are taking the opportunity to connect to the system now
at the discounted rate. After September 30, the connection
fee increases and property owners will be responsible for
obtaining state permits.
September
30 Deadline to Connect
While the project being out to bid is good and long-awaited
news, it also means the discounted connection fee of $500
per ERU will expire on September 30, 2010, which is around
the time we expect construction to start.
For
properties in the service area (Waitsfield Village and Irasville),
the pre-September 30 incentive price of $500 per ERU includes
a stub (or curb stop) at the highway right-of-way and the
installation of a meter in your building. Because
of the cost would be significantly higher and there would
be more disruption to install the stub or curb stop after
the project is completed, the Selectboard committed to having
all the connection stubs installed to ALL properties on Route
100 in Irasville and Waitsfield Village. To cover this
additional cost, however, properties that connect after
September 30 will pay a connection fee of $3,000 per ERU.
Stubs or curb stops will not be included to every
property outside of the service area
and the post-September 30 connection fee will be $2,000.
Another incentive to connect prior to September 30 is to be
included in the bulk permit
that the Town will be submitting on behalf of all the connected
customers.
Permit
Required
Changes to state rules in 2007 not only made permitting
of new well and septic sites (as well as replacement of systems)
more difficult for most areas in Waitsfield Village and Irasville,
they also require an individual potable water and waste
water permit. The Town has negotiated with State
officials to allow us to submit a single permit application
that will encompass all the connected customers as part of
the total project cost. In addition, the Town as the
applicant is exempt from any state fees. This change represents
a savings of approximately $750 to customers who signed up
before September 30. Customers that connect later will
be responsible for the application and fee, as well as for
hiring a qualified engineer to complete the certifications
and paperwork.
Municipal
Project Manager
The
Town has hired Henry Erickson as the Municipal Project Manager.
He will be responsible for all day to day coordination and
communications with the townspeople. Henry has extensive
construction experience including a public water system for
condos on the Access Road in Warren. Henry can be contacted
by E-mail at mpm@madriver.com
or by phone 496-4558.
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Service Area
Although
Waitsfield Village and Irasville are the
primary areas to be served
by the municipal water, hookups will be possible all
along the transmission line, from Tremblay Road and
along Route 100.
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Benefits
Safe, proven, and reliable drinking water supply to
all connected users.
Firefighting capacity from new hydrant system.
School and other public buildings will comply with State
and Federal rules.
Capacity for building owners to install sprinkler systems.
Reduction in fire insurance premiums.
Potential to expand on-site wastewater capacity on properties
that currently use on-site water supply wells or springs.
Infrastructure needed to support Village
Growth Center; reduces pressure to grow in a "sprawl"
fashion.
Expansion of tax base, business retention, and potential
for modest growth in Waitsfield Village and Irasville.
Costs for construction and maintenance of the system
will be paid for only by the connected customers. The
more connections, the lower the cost per customer. |
Background
Development
of a municipal water system to serve Irasville and Waitsfield
Village has been identified as a priority in the Waitsfield
Town Plan for many years, not only to address public health
concerns, but also to protect water quality of the Mad River,
to provide for economic development, and to reduce the potential
for sprawl outside these areas.
Several sites in town were studied as a potential municipal
water supply. Test wells drilled on sites near the Village
did not yield adequate results. A water source in the
southeast quadrant of town was ultimately found for a municipal
water system was identified and, after further study, a well
was drilled at the end of the Class 4 Reed Road in 2006. Final
engineering and permitting are underway for a municipal water
system that would begin at the Reed Road wellhead and follow
the Town's rights-of-way along Long Road, down Bushnell Road,
and to a new storage tank to be constructed on the Town-owned
former LeClair gravel pit site. From the tank, the transmission
mains would follow a right-of-way to Tremblay Road, where
it would meet Route 100 and continue on to the Village and
Irasville. Hydrants will provide fire protection along the
route. Although not part of the original alignment,
an alternative route following Old County Road is currently
being explored, which will provide fire protection for the
residential neighborhood.
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Why
Is It Needed?
Both quantity and quality of drinking water are currently
inadequate for some property owners in Waitsfield Village
and Irasville. For others, there is near term potential
for either insufficient quantity or for contamination, with
little recourse due to overlapping wastewater fields and well
protection areas.
At Waitsfield Elementary School, for example, an investment
in the range of $25,000 is needed to upgrade the school's
water system; instead, the school would be able to connect
to a municipal system if available. Other property owners
currently rely on bottled water because of contamination from
underground storage tanks or current water quality issues.
Opportunities for some businesses to expand are limited by
water supply systems that overlap with wastewater systems.
In Waitsfield Village and Irasville, and throughout Waitsfield,
property owners need to provide for both water supply and
septic disposal on an individual basis. Many establishments
share a single well.
Several decades ago, most of the buildings were fed
with water from springs on the hillside to the west. As
these were found unsafe or undependable, many people drilled
wells. The drilled wells, although more reliable than
springs, resulted in new issues, such as proximity to nearby
septic systems, underground fuel storage tanks, roads and
highways, and stormwater runoff.
Stringent state
rules have made the permitting of new well and septic
sites, as well as replacement of systems, very difficult for
most the Waitsfield Village and Irasville areas. A
vast majority of the more than 150 properties within the proposed
service area are currently served by a well that is not
in compliance with the required isolation distances from their
own or neighboring on-site water or wastewater systems.
The Selectboard has identified this public health concern
as an "emergent
condition" that needs to be addressed.
A large number of rural Vermont communities have developed
community water systems for their village centers, including
Rochester, Bristol,
Bethel, and Cabot.
As a commercial center for the Mad River Valley, Irasville
and Waitsfield Village need a safe, reliable water supply
for residents, business owners, employees, students, and visitors
to the stores, library, school, and restaurants.
Proposed
Improvements
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project is currently planned to include these major
components: |
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Water supply will come from a well that has been drilled
at Reed Road (off of Long Road), with an approximate
yield of 200 gallons per minute. This well is
sufficient to provide the present and projected future
demands of the proposed service area. |
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Approximately
7,000 linear feet of new 4-inch water transmission main
from the well to the proposed storage tank site (up
Reed Road, along Long Road, East Road, and Bushnell
Road to the Town-owned LeClair site, which is a former
gravel pit). |
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A
500,000 gallon covered storage tank and treatment control
building at the LeClair site. |
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Approximately
11,000 linear feet of new 12-inch transmission main
from the storage tank to North Road, along Tremblay
Road, and Route 100 to the Village service area; and
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Approximately
8,000 linear feet of water distribution mains (mostly
12-inch), fire hydrants, and service connections for
most properties in the Waitsfield and Irasville Villages. |
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Contacts
Valerie J. Capels, Town Administrator
Waitsfield Town Office
9 Bridge Street
Waitsfield, VT 05673
Phone: (802) 496-2218
Fax: (802) 496-9284
E-mail: 
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John Kiernan, Project Engineer
Phelps Engineering, Inc.
79 Court Street
P.O. Box 367 Middlebury, VT 05753
Phone: (802) 388-7829
Web: www.phelpseng.com |
Henry
Erickson , Municipal Project Manager
Erickson Consulting, LLC
Phone: (802) 496-4558
E-mail: mpm@madriver.com
Web: www.ericksonconsultingvt.com |
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Updated
August 20, 2010
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Waitsfield's
Official Web Site
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