Weston Water Tank Group Reviews OPM Scope, Targets May Design Submission

WESTON — April 9, 2025 — Weston's water tank working group advanced permitting and design work at its April 9 meeting, with engineers targeting a 30 percent design submission to MassDEP by the end of May. Leah Stanton and Matt Connors of Weston & Sampson told the group that appraisal delays — five firms contacted have declined — are the main variable controlling when a full permit application can be filed, with a best-case draft three months out. The group debated how much weight to give a recent population growth rate of approximately 0.72 percent per year, versus focusing on irrigation trends as the dominant driver of peak water demand, with engineers noting that comparable high-density housing in town uses roughly 47 gallons per capita per day against a town baseline of 65. Stanton confirmed that state environmental justice requirements call for translated notification to a nearby Chinese-speaking community at least 45 days before filing, with a pre-filing meeting indicating newspaper and community center notice would be sufficient. The working group set its next meeting for Wednesday, May 7.