Mansfield's Major Well Renovation Projects on Track

Three major well renovation projects are under way at once in Mansfield and town manager Bill Ross reported Wednesday all are on track and under budget.

A new chemical feed storage facility and the replacement of some water pumps at the Cate Springs well off Maple Street in the east end of town and new water tanks at the Walsh well off Gilbert Street in West Mansfield are 75-percent complete, Ross said.

After wiring and controls are installed, the facilities will be ready to be put on line sometime shortly after mid April. The work will incorporate renovations and additions to instrumentation and controls required by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Ross commented the mild-winter and bids that came in under expectations contributed to the pace of the projects.

The improvements to the Albertini well field off West Street, perhaps the largest undertaking, was bid last, but work is steaming ahead and the installation is about 50-percent complete.

That project includes a 10,000 square foot building, 80 feet by 124 feet, that has yet to be erected, but a large part of the foundational construction is done.

The giant mountain of gravel that tempted area children to slide down it on sheets of plastic has finally been used up, with the remainder removed reecently.

The sand filter that will be part of the eventual plant will help remove iron and manganese naturally occurring in the water supply. That will allow West Mansfield residents to turn on the tap without fear of the brown water that has plagued the area for years.

In addition, the plant was designed to accommodate future growth. It is expected to be on line in late summer.

The three projects were submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection together two years ago and received the go-ahead and funding quickly because of the group submission.

The Walsh and Cate Springs work, done by a single contractor, was to cost a little under $5 million, and the West Street plant and renovations were projected to cost $6,785,000, funded through a state revolving fund loan.

Ross also told selectmen work on the East Mansfield electric substation off Bird Road had begun with land clearing completed and transformers due to be delivered in mid-April.