The following letter to the editor was submitted by Steve Walther, a local government activist. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Andover News. You can learn more about our policy on opinion and commentary on our Mission and Policies page.
In a Town blessed with a great many nature trails and open spaces, somehow the only option the Town considered for an ADA compliant trail was Haggett’s Pond. The only solid surface option considered – asphalt. The plan is to pave over a mile of wetlands. That asphalt isn’t a small pedestrian path either. The proposed paving is sufficient for light trucks. In an era when you cannot get environmental approval for an asphalt driveway close to wetlands, the Town proposes to pave over a mile of asphalt right through the wetlands. Why Haggett’s? It’s cheaper – flat and straight. Why asphalt – it’s the cheapest solid paving, especially when you have no long term plan to maintain it.
Why not? Haggett’s Pond is also our water supply. Here is what the Town said about Haggett’s Pond from the latest (2022) Town Water Quality Report (p. 16):
Please be reminded that Haggett’s Pond also serves as the Town’s primary drinking water reservoir; the entirety of the Town’s drinking water passes through the pond, and there is no backup source available. As such, it is imperative that we all do our part in ensuring that Haggett’s Pond remains clean and free of contamination. With that in mind, a number of restrictions are currently in place to ensure the pond remains available for shared use, without negatively impacting water quality.
The report goes on to list all the restricted activities, such as no wading or swimming, in order to protect our drinking water. This is consistent with a good risk mitigation strategy: a combination of active measures like filtration and chlorination; and passive measures that restrict land use and activities to reduce the need for active measures. Not anymore. Fresh asphalt paving along the edge of the Town’s drinking water reservoir is just fine the Town says. This isn’t a hypothetical concern. Asphalt and other petrochemicals are a well known source of PAH contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Go ahead and look them up, we shouldn’t be adding them to our drinking water. Once these are present in our water, active measures only reduce their concentration, they are not eliminated. By developing and paving around our only drinking water source, we undercut our risk reduction strategy, and increase the risk to our drinking water supply. Why is the Town proposing this? Because the initial cost is cheaper than doing an ADA trail elsewhere – and any costly impact to water quality will be someone else’s problem – cheap now, expensive later.
What to do? Demand an ADA compliant trail, and demand that it be located intelligently. Support keeping our water supply safe. At the upcoming Special Town Meeting, vote to keep asphalt paving out of the wetlands protecting Haggett’s Pond, our drinking water reservoir.
Steve Walther
Andover
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