Weston Engineers Call for Three New Water Tanks, 40-Foot Elevation Increase

WESTON -- February 16, 2023, Weston officials and engineers presented the case for replacing all three of the town's aging water storage tanks at a February 16 public forum hosted by the Select Board. Select Board member and Water Commissioner Laurie Bent, serving as project coordinator, presided over the session alongside Town Manager Leon Goldman and Wright Pierce engineers Robert Williamson and Amy Coppers, who documented that the tanks, with a combined age of nearly 240 years, provide effectively zero "active storage" and leave more than 300 parcels below the state's minimum 35 psi pressure standard under normal conditions. The engineers recommended raising tank elevations by at least 40 feet and adding 2.5 million gallons of active storage, at a cost the report pegs at roughly $2 per gallon. Resident Jim Polando argued the project could be scaled back by first building a redundant MWRA supply main, citing language in the Wright Pierce report that a redundant line would allow elimination of 0.69 million gallons of emergency storage. Bent confirmed the select board has not yet voted on whether to build one tank or two simultaneously, though she indicated a preference for two; Article 97 permitting for all three sites is already underway, with a nine-to-12-month permitting window expected before design work can begin in earnest.