Dover Select Board Hears Case for MWRA Water Connection to Solve Quality Problems

DOVER — June 9, 2026 — Dover Select Board takes up Aquarion's MWRA interconnection proposal amid PFAS concerns across all town wellfields. Aquarion Water Company and engineering consultant CDM Smith presented a recommendation to connect Dover's public water system to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority via the Dedham-Westwood Water District as a secondary supply, projecting roughly $8 million in customer savings over 20 years compared to treating the Francis Street wellfield — the next-cheapest alternative. CDM Smith engineer Adam Simonson said the interconnection carries the lowest estimated capital cost at $9.7 million and a projected 20-year cost of service of approximately $22 million, against roughly $30 million for Francis Street treatment, with all figures including PFAS filtration at the Knollwood Drive wellfield, where all Dover wellfields were confirmed to have PFAS contamination. Board Chair David Doyle noted Dover Aquarion customers already pay the second-highest water rates in the Commonwealth at an average of $1,304 per year and demanded per-hundred-gallon cost breakdowns before any town meeting vote. Member Robin Rankin said the board intends to retain its own independent water consultant and called for an in-person public information session, while both she and Doyle flagged concern that reliable MWRA supply could expose the town to greater state pressure to accommodate high-density housing development.