Wayland Public Works board details $38.6 million water plan for May 4 vote

WAYLAND — April 7, 2026 — Wayland water officials pitch $38.6 million dual-source overhaul ahead of May 4 Town Meeting. The Board of Public Works and Kleinfelder project manager Kirsten Ryan told residents Tuesday the plan would build a new permanent PFAS treatment plant at Happy Hollow, a metered MWRA connection at Shaft L in Framingham, a 20-inch transmission main along the Hultman Aqueduct and a 3.5-million-gallon-per-day pump station near Old Connecticut Path. Financial consultant Matt Abrahams said the average residential bill would climb from about $900 to $1,200 a year, a roughly 35 percent jump, with $2.32 million in annual debt service starting in fiscal 2029 on a 30-year borrowing. The state revolving fund denied Wayland's application and rejected its appeal on April 1; the town has filed a $4 million congressionally directed spending request through Sens. Markey and Warren. Water Superintendent Dawn Millett warned that without the project, "firefighting would become an issue" as aging equipment fails. A $7 million MWRA entrance-fee waiver requires acceptance by December 2027.