BRAINTREE – After two decades of debate and planning, construction of a new regional water treatment plant is expected to begin next month.
Higher-than-expected bid prices have pushed the total cost of the 12.5-million-gallon-per-day treatment plant to nearly $112 million, which includes a contingency reserve and the cost of oversight of the project. The cost had been estimated at $80 million last year.
“This is our opportunity to finally build our regional water treatment plant,” Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros told the town council this week.
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The Braintree Town Council unanimously approved borrowing an additional $19.34 million to pay for the treatment plant. Braintree will pay half the cost of the plant, which brings the town’s total share to $55.95 million.
The Randolph Town Council is scheduled to vote Thursday night on borrowing $14.23 million to cover its share of the plant’s cost, and Holbrook’s town meeting has already approved an additional $7.26 million.
The state will loan the money at a 0% interest rate to the Tri-Town Water District, which will operate the plant. The loans will be repaid out of water revenues.
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Bids opened Sept. 16 and two companies responded. Walsh Construction was the low bidder, and district officials said they are prepared to award the bid to the company.
“They would start immediately with construction and finish in 2025,” the mayor told the council.
Kokoros said the higher cost of the treatment plant is due to supply-chain issues and general inflation.
The plant will replace two water treatment plants, which date back to the 1930s: one serves Braintree and the other is shared by Randolph and Holbrook.
The new plant will be built next to the current Braintree plant, with the treated water fed into the Randolph and Holbrook systems through a pipe that will be constructed under the Great Pond Reservoir.
Kokoros said the new treatment plant is designed to remove the “forever chemical” known as PFAS from Randolph and Holbrook’s drinking water.
An acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in a variety of applications since the 1950s, from nonstick cookware and water-resistant clothing to food packaging materials and firefighting foam. They are considered a “forever chemical” because they don’t break down and can accumulate in the body.
The chemicals have been linked to health problems, from weakening the immune system of children, increasing cholesterol levels and causing tumors. They have also been shown to be a health risk for pregnant and nursing mothers.
Braintree recently upgraded its treatment plant to remove PFAS.
Reach Fred Hanson at [email protected].
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