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Date: 8/3/2022
LONGMEADOW – Longmeadow Department of Public Works (DPW) Water Superintendent Michael Spear told the Select Board that the level 2 drought that has gripped the Pioneer Valley, “has implications on our ability to fight fires.”
Longmeadow’s emergency management team is reviewing the situation biweekly to keep abreast of the issue.
“Our system runs off the tank,” Department of Public Works (DPW) Water Superintendent Michael Spear said referring to the town’s water tower. Throughout the day, the water level fluctuates between 25 feet and 32 feet. Throughout the summer, booster pumps are used to pull ground water into the system to accommodate irrigation needs.
The drought has caused more people to water their lawns, draining the water tower.
Spear explained that the firetrucks put out 4,000 gallons of water per minute. When the Longmeadow Fire Department fought the fire that destroyed the plaza on Shaker Road in November 2021, the water level in the town’s water tower was 35 feet with booster pumps needed to supply more water than usual. The level is currently 10 feet. Were the fire to happen now, Spear said, there would not be enough water pressure to put it out.
DPW Director Sean Vandeusen added that the month of July saw the town exceed the amount of water it is allowed to pull from the Springfield Water Commission by 1 million gallons per day.
Select Board Vice Chair Mark Gold said that the drought is one problem, but “we have a capacity and systems problem.” He said the town has outgrown the current infrastructure.
Simmons agreed, calling it, “a growing concern. We will need to make some serious investments in our system,” but “it may be a bigger price tag than we can handle.”
The board addressed possible measures to curb water usage. A robocall went out the previous week asking people to voluntarily limit outdoor water use to odd-numbered days for odd-numbered addresses and even-numbered days for the other side of the street.
Gold said that automatic irrigation systems are not capable of being set in that manner and “we’re going to end up being the water police.” Measures at this time are voluntary but if the town reaches a level 3 drought, considered critical, all non-essential watering will be prohibited, and water bans will be enforced with fines. Simmons noted that watering at town facilities would also be prohibited, including at Wolf Swamp Fields, in which the town just invested more than $1.5 million.
It was decided that the DPW will put out a watering schedule for certain days and times.
Select Board Chair Joshua Levine said that education will be key to ensuring people cut their water usage on a voluntary basis. He said the Shaker Road fire, which destroyed six businesses, is still “fresh in people’s minds.” If the issue is explained from a fire protection standpoint, he said people would be more willing to comply.
Select Board member Thomas Lachiusa said he wanted to be proactive next year and put out reminders in June to curb outdoor watering ahead of the hottest months of the year, thereby allowing water levels in the tower to fill before it is needed. Simmons agreed and said that climate change means droughts will become more severe and more frequent in the future.
EV Grants
The board approved an electric vehicle (EV) charging station policy. There is one level-two, fast-charging station with two charging ports at the DPW Garage on Converse Street and two stations with a total of four ports at the Adult Center on Maple Street. The town has received a MassDEP Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP) grant to install another four Level 2 charging ports at Longmeadow High School and four more at Wolf Swamp Field. Longmeadow is also seeking an Eversource Make Ready grant for a Level 3 charger on Longmeadow Street at Laurel Park, for a total of 14 ports in town.
Municipal EV chargers work by charging customers for the amount of time or amount of electricity used and then paying the electric utility electricity used.
Assistant Town Manager and Director of Planning & Community Development Corrin Meise-Munns explained a base rate of $.63 per hour would be charged to the town would for electricity used by customers at the EV chargers. There would also be charges associated with transaction fees, maintenance, network costs, installation costs and more. The total cost per port would be about $4,484.25, ideally spread across each charging session over a five-year period. This works out to about $2.46 per day.
“The more these machines are used, the less expensive it is for us,” Meise-Munns said, as it will eliminate the need for demand charges. She shared her opinion that the town will lose money on the stations because people with EVs will likely charge at home. Gold countered that, saying that his son has an EV and charges at home, but also uses public charging stations once a week.
Lachiusa noted benefits to the town are not just measured in dollars and cents. He said the cleaner air from fewer people using combustion engines will help the town.
The town can choose to provide the service at no cost to the customer, charge by the kilo-watt hour (kWh) used or a fixed session fee calculated by the energy cost multiplied by kWh charged and a charge for site share cost per session.
Gold asked Meise-Munns how much electricity it will cost each customer to charge their vehicle. She explained that the average EV driver who charges outside their home tops up their 64-kWh battery from between 60 percent and 80 percent. Meise-Munns estimated people will use an average of 12 kWh per hour.
Gold ran the numbers and said the session charge worked out to $8 per hour. Levine commented that EV charging would be less expensive than gas at that rate. Meise-Munns reminded the board that that rate only covered the electricity and not the other fees and costs. With those included, she said it would come closer to $20 per hour with a fixed session rate. Gold told her that they shouldn’t include the other costs, but instead try a 6-month trial period at $8 per hour.
Select Board member Dan Zwirko asked Simmons asked what is to stop people from “hogging the spots” and leaving the vehicle there all day, despite having finished charging. Gold told him there was no real benefit for the driver to do that.
Zwirko also asked how the charger locations were chosen. She explained they were placed near new construction that draws people. The high school has expressed a desire for a charger and it is located close to the Longmeadow Shops. There is also the added consideration that there is a plan to add at least one electric vehicle to the DPW’s fleet.
The board approved the $8 per hour rate. The chargers will go live in the near future.