DALTON, Mass. — The Board of Water Commissioners approved contracting with Waterworth, a cloud-based platform, for a water rate study.   

 

The study will look at the district's debt, future projects, water infrastructure, inflation, and other factors to provide a guideline on how the district can raise or maintain its water rates in the future, Water Superintendent Bob Benlien said. 

 

"I explained to them that we don't want to be extremely aggressive on it, but I do see the need to increase our rates in the future, and this will work good for our asset management," he said.

 

The study will also help communicate to the public the reason for the future rate changes, Benlien said. 

 

"It lays it out in a way that it's easy to understand for anybody. They can project in the future, 20 years, easily with the software that they have and they go based off of inflation rate and everything else that would be affecting what the cost would be," he said. 

 

The initial cost of the program is $7,200. The department has enough funds in its budget to cover this year’s cost, Benlien said. "This is something that they'll do every year."

 

There's a "minor" maintenance fee every year, but the $7,200 is the initial cost for looking at the department's debt and other factors. 

 

The department has been stagnant with doing any type of proactive approach to repairing and redoing anything to the system, he said. 

 

"Last projects we did were on Crane Ave., and that was back in 2005, so it's been almost 20 years," Benlien said

 

The late Gilbert "Gibby" F. Rudd Jr., superintendent until his retirement in 2016, had a plan regarding things that needed addressing, yet none have been done, Benlien said. 

 

"So, I think we need to start looking at means of funding that and I think inevitably that rate increases are something that we're going to have to look into," he said. 

 

Benlien said he has already informed them about the department's current debts, including rebuilding the Windsor Dam in 2010, two water tanks, Elser Pump Station.

 

The state required the department to rebuild the Windsor Dam. The district has three loans for the project with remaining balances of $881,402, $1,153,844, and $297,835. 

 

The district has a remaining balance of $766,728 for the Pinecrest water tank and $1,014,390 for the reservoir road tank. There is also a remaining balance of $722,383 for the Elser Pump Station. 

 

Benlien said he spoke to a Williamstown Water Department representative, who said the program has been a great tool. 

 

"They delivered everything they promised and that it has been helpful in addressing their rate changes in the future," he said.