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Not Predictive of Water Quality

The recent article on the Mulberry Point Water Main Project [Dec. 8, “Officials Continue to Investigate Public Water for Guilford Waterfront”] states in the last paragraph that “In a January 2016 study water samples collected in the area revealed approximately 74 percent of the wells are contaminated...”

Unfortunately the size of the sampling taken in 2016 is not mentioned and the reader might falsely assume that the 74 percent figure applies to the 145 households in the project area. That would indicate that there are 107 contaminated wells in the area and this is not the case. Only 29 wells were tested in the January 2016 sampling with 21 showing signs of contamination. Based on the testing done and referenced, it is correctly accurate to say that 14 percent of the wells in the project area have been shown to have water quality issues. Also, it is important to note that these samplings are not scientifically developed and statistically useful. They are not predictive of water quality at other well locations.

In the matter of finances it should be noted that the town has, since July 1, 2014, already spent approximately $37,000 of unsecured funds on the water project. Implying that the town will not have any costs to bear seems premature and perhaps naive at this point in the process. The Connecticut Water Company has previously indicated that the town would be responsible for any lost revenue that it may incur should anticipated hook-up commitments not be kept and there is the potential for appeals regarding the liens filed against the project participants at the end of the project to recoup the project costs, ie. the actual costs, not the budget costs.

Chris Tietjen

Guilford