Haverhill’s plans to draw additional drinking water from a unique well below the Merrimack River is getting a $1 million federal boost towards project costs.
Sens. Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Lori Trahan confirmed Friday the city will receive the money as part of “Congressionally Directed Spending for Massachusetts.” Legislators called Haverhill’s proposed “radial collector riverbank well” the state’s first. Haverhill Public Works Director Robert E. Ward explains why the well is unusual.
“It’s a concrete caisson that they sink in to the bank of the river, 50 to 100 feet off the edge of the river or riverbank but near the riverbank. It will go down somewhere around 70 to 90 feet deep,” he told WHAV.
City councilors approved a $17.2 million loan order for the project 10 years ago this year. More recently, City Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere to overcome stalled purchase negotiations with an East Broadway landowner by using an eminent domain land taking.
Ward said the structure is about 16 to 18 feet in diameter. The well and a pipeline to bring the water to Kenoza Lake for treatment is now expected to cost from $20-25 million.
Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett said she received the good news Friday afternoon. While acknowledging the cost of the project, she said the federal grant will help reduce the impact on water ratepayers.
“It’s a very expensive project, but it certainly is a project that we have to move forward with to ensure that we ample water for the future,” she told WHAV.
Legislators said a primary goal of the project is to “establish a reliable, efficient and sustainable backup water source that ensures continuous service for residents of the city.” They added the federal earmark for Haverhill is part of $30.8 million designated for the state to be spread over 28 “critical infrastructure, justice, science, environmental and rural development projects.”
In a joint statement, Markey said the money “will make our water cleaner, our environment healthier, our workforce stronger and expand justice in our communities.” Warren added, “families deserve safer roads and flood infrastructure, cleaner water, a strong fishing economy and programs that protect our youth,” while Trahan said she spent the past year working with local leaders and colleagues in Congress to “cut through the gridlock and turn local priorities into real federal investments.”