Dover Select Board Weighs MWRA Water Connection as Answer to Quality Woes

DOVER — June 10, 2026 — Dover Select Board grills Aquarian Water over MWRA interconnection plan estimated to save $8 million over 20 years. Aquarian Vice President John Walsh and engineers from CDM Smith presented a recommendation to connect Dover's water system to the MWRA through the Dedham Westwood Water District as a secondary source, citing a 20-year cost-of-service estimate of $22 million versus roughly $30 million for treating the Francis Street Wellfield — with all scenarios including mandatory PFAS filtration at the Knollwood Wellfield, the town's primary supply. Board members, including a member identified as Robin, pushed back on the analysis, calling for independent legal and water consulting review and warning that an MWRA connection could invite state pressure to approve additional housing: "You're paying them and not us," she said of CDM Smith. Dover Aquarian customers already pay an average of $1,304 per year for water, among the highest rates in the Commonwealth, and the chair requested all cost options be restated as a per-100-gallon figure before any Town Meeting presentation. No contract with Dedham Westwood exists; the historically $4 million MWRA entrance fee is currently waived and was excluded from all cost figures.