Citing the potential impact to the town water supply and the threat to the aquifer, sewer and water commissioners last night voted ‘‘no’’ to a proposed power plant.
Although they emphasized that they are only expressing an opinion, commissioners became the first town board to take a stance on the project, just ahead of an expected vote by Board of Selectmen tonight.
The ‘‘no’’ vote will be sent to selectmen ahead of the 8 p.m. hearing, according to Chairman John Spillane.
Commissioners were not voting on a request for a permit, Spillane emphasized. They were expressing themselves on the project in general.
The decision is a response to the proposal by Competitive Power Ventures to locate a 580-megawatt power plant on Industrial Road in South Walpole.
The primary reason is concern over the daily volume of water required to operate the plant.
At previous meetings Competitive Power representatives said the plant will draw an average of 125,000 gallons of water daily, with a maximum of 200,000 gallons.
That would put too much strain on the town’s water resources, according to Commissioner Patrick J. Fasanello.
Said Fasanello, the town only has ‘‘x amount of water’’ that it can use, due to mandatory constraints on usage by state agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection. Because of those restrictions ‘‘it would be unseemly to further diminish the quality of life in town,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s on us to limit our water use,’’ he said. He added that water rates would likely rise as a result of the Competitive Power project.
One resident on hand asked that the commission speculate on the impact the power plant would have on the town’s overall water supply.
‘‘My sense is it’s a problem,’’ Spillane said.
A second reason for the ‘‘no’’ vote is the perceived danger to the town’s aquifer. Commissioners’ concern, echoed by various members of the public, centered on the quantity of oil - Spillane cited a figure of 2 million gallons - that would be used as a reserve fuel source for the power plant.
It will be located on the aquifer, but significant safety measures will be put in place, Competitive Power representatives have said.
‘‘That’s all well and good, but there’s one thing you can’t remove and that’s human error,’’ Sewer and Water Superintendent Rick Mattson said.
‘‘As far as I’m concerned, we have a duty to protect the aquifer,’’ Spillane said.
‘‘We’re not anti-business. We don’t want to see our aquifer polluted. It’s as simple as that,’’ Mattson said.
Concerns such as health risks, air pollution, the impact on real estate values, and the issue of terrorism surfaced in a 45-minute discussion between the commission and members of the public ahead of the vote.
Before the vote was taken, Spillane asked, ‘‘Is there anyone for this thing?’’
No one responded.
Commissioners voted 4-0-1 against supporting the power plant.
Commissioner Ken Fettig, who abstained, said ‘‘this country wasn’t built on people worried about everything that (might go) wrong.’’ Rather, it was built by people ‘‘making sure everything went right.’’
The crowd applauded commissioners after the vote. Several people thanked the board for the decision.
‘‘You seem to have done your homework,’’ resident Susan Kelly said.
Jeb Bobseine can be reached at jeb@walpoletimes.com or 508-668-0243, ext. 13.
