HALIFAX — State representatives Thomas J. Calter, D-Kingston, and Josh S. Cutler, D-Duxbury, tried to assure angry residents that their efforts to deal with the Department of Environmental Protection on the Monponsett Ponds issue is making progress.

Both legislators have worked to bring the plight of the ponds to the attention of the State House, looking for a solution.

The meeting of the Central Plymouth County Water District, held at the Halifax Town Hall Great Room Monday, Sept. 14, brought a couple dozen residents and other interested water folks to vent their frustration with the lack of response by Brockton and the Department of Environmental Protection.

Chaired by Plympton’s Jack O’Leary, who was joined by Halifax attorney Paul Collis, clerk, the meeting was a forum for much needed discussion.

West Monponsett Pond is in the height of an algae bloom, despite the extensive and expensive efforts of the Town of Halifax to treat the pond three times this past summer.  The City of Brockton, whose main source of water is Silver Lake, located in Plympton, Pembroke and Kingston, was given emergency authority in a 1964 legislative action to divert water from West Monponsett pond, through East Monponsett pond, and Stump Brook to bring up the levels of Silver Lake for Brockton’s use. Diverting this water has left a serious situation with toxic algae growing in the pond and dead fish on the shore, both seemingly as a result of the lowering of the water level and reversing the natural flow of the west Monponsett pond to cause stagnation. 

Hanson resident Audrey Hayward of Ocean Avenue said that her property value has plummeted due to the toxic stench.  She also blames her health issues on the green algae in the pond.

“They (the symptoms) appear when the green water comes,” Hayward said. “It never dies, just goes down to the bottom of the pond in cold weather. . . . We can’t have company, cook-outs, with the stench and the fish belly-up on the shore.”

She said she has to keep her dog from drinking the pond water, and is still having a hard time making the payments on a very expensive septic system that the DEP strongly insisted that she and her neighbors invest in for the sake of the ponds. She sees no improvement, in fact things are worse from her point of view, and she still has the large payments on the $40,000 to $50,000 septic system to make.  Her neighborhood friend of more than 30 years is losing her home to foreclosure as she isn’t able to make those payments.

“Losing your home because of a septic system?  That just isn’t right,” Hayward said.

Hayward continued that she continually sees boaters on the pond, speeding around, throwing up aerosolized toxins people then inhale.

“I watch people out there pulling their 7- or 8-year-old children on tubes, splashing on the water, breathing in the aerosolized foam,” she said. “Why is that boat ramp still open?  How do we stop that?  You can’t have it both ways!”

Pine DuBois of the Jones River Watershed Association said, “There needs to be a forum… The DEP needs to hear this woman.”

Halifax Selectmen Chairman Kim Roy told Hayward that Halifax is limited in its authority over the state boat ramp.  They do put out signs, but the signs need to be improved.

Brockton Water Department employee Brian Creedon said he had sent a letter to Richard Rondeau, head of the Department of Environmental Protection, South Division in Lakeville, for clarification of the DEP’s position on the Monponsett Pond issue on June 15.

He is still waiting for an answer.

Rep. Calter told the group that he personally brought a petition, signed by 620 residents in 48 hours, to the State House to increase awareness of the problem inaction and wrong action has caused.  Calter continued that he and Cutler believe that the DEP has relinquished its authority in the Ponds issue.  They should realize that diverting water from West Monponsett Pond is a bad idea.

“The City of Brockton has the right to divert water beginning Oct. 1,” O’Leary said.  “It is also their statutory obligation to maintain the ponds, which they have failed to do,” he said.

Creedon told the commissioners that it is his understanding that Brockton has no plan to divert water from Monponsett Oct. 1.

Alex Mansfield, Ecology Program Director of the Jones River Watershed Association, said that the ponds need to be allowed to return to their natural flow to give them the opportunity to clean themselves.

Hayward asked O’Leary why, when she as a gardener has to watch her garden die, the people of Brockton have no water ban? Roy answered that she asked the Brockton Water Commissioners that same question and was told that “Brockton people like to have green grass.”

Calter said that with the lack of conservation on the part of Brockton, there may need to be new legislation to deal with the problem.  “Rep. Cutler and I have read the law thoroughly and find it very clear.”

Collis told the group that for the past three years, the Monponsett Watershed Association, the Board of Selectmen and Board of Health for Halifax have been trying to find a resolution to the green water.  Out of frustration dealing with the regulatory authority, the DEP, it has been only through the efforts of Calter and Cutler that we now have the legal vehicle to pursue solutions.

Calter told Collis that they are petitioning Gov. Baker, and are in touch with the DEP, seeking to form a collaboration this week at the State House which will put in motion a solution to the problem.

O’Leary told the group of the conference which he attended, even though the Patrick administration withdrew funds for the commission, which dealt in part with the cyanobacteria problem.  The lecturer spent some time with O’Leary, and told him that a big problem with reversing the water flow from a contaminated pond is dragging the problem from West Pond to East Pond and into Silver Lake itself.  Brockton may well be poisoning its own water source.

DuBois told the group that she would encourage the Commission’s writing a letter of support to investigate Brockton’s entry into the MWRA water system, which goes as far as Stoughton now.   

Brockton has clearly outgrown the present protocol of draining Monponsett ponds to quench its thirst.

Plympton Selectmen Monday night wrestled with several tricky issues, including whether to do background checks on business license applicants, held a tax classification hearing, and dealt with how a multipurpose building at Sauchuk Farms might be wired for electricity.

CORI Checks for business license applicants?

Both Selectman Mark Russo and Dale Pleau, Town Coordinator, looked into whether CORI (criminal record) checks could be done on business license applicants as had been the previous practice of the town. The issue arose when Angels Auto & Towing requested a Class II license to sell used cars, not specifically because of a problem with them, but because Russo wanted to look into the legality of the practice.

According to Town Counsel and the Police Chief Patrick Dillon, this is not legal due to CORI reform laws. Someone in town could be trained to perform what Pleau has termed “CORI-lite” checks, but as of now the board does not know of anyone with the training or the cost of that training.  Pleau will look further into the matter.

The Class II license for Angels Auto and Towing passed, with Selectperson Christine Joy opposed. When interviewed after the meeting, Joy stated she was not opposed to Angels Auto and Towing per se, but that she felt that all business license applicants should be vetted as to whether they are suitable candidates to run businesses in town in order “to protect the citizens of Plympton.” She used the example of someone with a history of larceny as someone unsuitable to run a business in town.

Residential/Commercial tax rate split?

The board held an annual hearing required by law to determine whether or not to split the residential and commercial tax rate. The hearing was technically a Board of Assessors meeting within the Selectmen’s meeting, and is always held after assessors have set their final values and submitted them to the Department of Revenue.

Splitting the rate increases the tax bill for commercial and agricultural businesses and reduces the tax bill for residents. Most nearby communities do not engage in the practice, and if they do, it is not by very much. Selectmen and assessors agreed that splitting the rate could discourage business from entering a town as it raises their tax bill.

Principal Assessor Deborah Stuart prepared very detailed documents on what other communities do and compared them to Plympton. She also presented in detail the consequences of each of the four motions before the Selectmen, because she stated that she was asked to by a concerned citizen this week.

Susan Ossoff of the Plympton Finance Committee commented from the audience that she believed that the rate should not be split.

Without much discussion, the Selectmen decided against splitting the rate, as has been the practice in the past.

A Complicated Maze at Sauchuk Farms

Sauchuk Farms owner Scott Sauchuk came before the board to request an alternate wiring inspector for a multipurpose building that he constructed as a farm stand for the corn maze he runs at the farm. Sauchuk has been having trouble getting the proper permitting to wire the building. He stated that there was a possible conflict of interest with the Zoning Enforcement Officer, Bob Karling, being the wiring inspector as well.

Although the two men disagreed vehemently, they were calm and polite.

Sauchuk stated that the use of the building will be simply to consolidate operations for the corn maze. The Zoning Enforcement Officer wants time with town counsel because due to agricultural bylaws, any building built on agricultural land is technically an agricultural accessory building, whether it is a shed or a barn, or in Sauchuk’s case, a building with bathrooms, ticket vending, and a farm stand.

Wiring standards are different for agricultural accessory buildings than normal commercial buildings for several reasons, including the risk of explosion in areas where hay is stored and animals sensing voltages differently than humans in concrete, for example. The wiring for agricultural buildings versus commercial buildings is much more expensive, said Karling.

But Sauchuk said there will be no animals or hay in his building.

He is going ahead with wiring the building (at his own risk, according to Karling), although he legally can start 5 days before pulling a permit.

The Selectmen agreed to allow Karling time with town counsel, and because Karling has no problem stepping aside in his role as wiring inspector in this case, the deputy wiring inspector will follow up.

In other news:

• The Selectmen expect to hire their new assistant within the week. Six applicants were considered.

• The new Blue Wave solar PPA will be presented at the next board meeting. It offers a better deal than their last one: 10.5 cents per KwH over twenty years with no escalator.

• The board will continue to explore coordinating with Carver over industrial land on Spring Street.

• The Parsonage Road basketball court is half repaired; one new backboard was installed, but the Recreation Department is waiting for a second.

• The Public Safety Building Committee continues to regularly meet and seeks public input at their open meetings. Selectman Colleen Thompson says “things are looking good” for keeping everything on the current Town House “campus.”

• The Board of Selectmen will begin its regular fall schedule, with meetings on Mondays at 6 p.m. The next meetings are September 21st, September 28th, and October 5th.

Halifax Town Administrator Charlie Seelig announced Wednesday that the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office has approved the Town’s by-law establishing a seven-person Halifax Agricultural Commission.

Six of the members are to be from the active farming community and there will be one resident at large of Halifax.

The members shall serve as facilitators for encouraging the pursuit of agriculture in Halifax, shall promote agricultural-based economic opportunities in Town, shall act as advocates, educators, and/or negotiators on farming issues, shall work for preservation of prime agricultural lands, and shall pursue all initiatives appropriate to creating a sustainable agricultural community.

Residents interested in serving on the Agricultural Commission should download the “Talent Bank” form from the Town’s web site and return it to the Board of Selectmen’s Office or call the Office at 781-294-1316 by no later than September 29.