WELLFLEET – The Wellfleet Board of Water Commissioners has recommended a plan to create a new water main that connects along Main Street as a way to solve issues regarding affordable housing and water flow in the town.
Nearly 50 affordable housing units have been proposed to be added along Lawrence Road.
Chairman of the Board of Water Commissioners Jim Hood said that concerns have been raised about that project, as it would add a demand of around 10,000 gallons of water per day to the town’s water system.
Around 30,000 gallons of water are used across the town daily during the off-season.
That added demand would be over the limit of what the Grist Mill Way wells site can currently provide, but the wells at the former Boy Scout camp can easily handle that volume.
Regulations require that redundant sources, such as the Grist Mill Way site, must conform to the same hydraulic flow requirements that are in place at primary sources, like the Boy Scout camp site.
“We had to look at options as to how we could improve the hydraulic flow from the Grist Mill Way wells,” Hood explained to selectmen recently.
To address that issue, a potential plan of action involves creating a new water main connected to Main Street, via Briar Lane, from the Grist Mill Way wells. The connection would run along Route 6.
This plan would aim to create upwards of 88 more connections to the water system, providing more revenue to the town.
“This will allow us to proceed with the affordable housing project once that new main is in place,” Hood said.
The Main Street option would cost around $3.8 million, as opposed to the other $3.7 million option that was brought up. That plan would replace two miles of the Grist Mill Way main on Coles Neck Road.
A $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Housing Choice Program was given to the town in order to cover a part of the water main connection for the affordable housing project.
Voters at Town Meeting in April will be presented with a plan regarding the project and its funding.
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