Public Hearings On Burlington MWRA Hookup Scheduled In July

BURLINGTON, MA — The Massachusetts Water Resources Commission is holding two hearings in July on aspects of the town's application to join the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The staff will make a draft recommendation on the Commission in August, they reported.

The town has been seeking admission to the authority since 2018, when town meeting voted to join. Burlington residents are currently under strict outdoor water use limitations, with recent dry conditions compounding the town's inadequate system.

Two public hearings will examine the hookup's impact on the donor and recipient water basins: Burlington would by 6.5 million gallons per day from the Authority's source in the Chicopee and Nashua River basins. The town is in the Ipswich River basin, the Boston Harbor basin and the Shawsheen River basin.

The following hearings are scheduled:

1. Donor basin: July 10, 2020 at 1:00 PM. This meeting will be held online via Zoom. Please see instructions for joining at the end of this notice.
2. Receiving basin: July 13, 2020 at 10:00 AM. This meeting will be held online via Zoom. Please see instructions for joining at the end of this notice.

The draft recommendation is expected at the Commission's Aug. 13 meeting.

Information on attending the three virtual meetings is available here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.