In the News

U.S. Rep Richard Neal visited the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s West Parish Filters water treatment plant in Westfield Friday afternoon as workers continued working on the new clearwell and backwash pump station project.

The $25 million project at the Westfield facility, Phase 1 of which began in December, is part of a $550 million effort across 20 projects by the commission to improve water and sewer service for 250,000 customers in the Lower Pioneer Valley. Completion of the project is expected in 2023.

Neal was taken on a tour of the facility through the old, current, and future water filtration systems used by the facility. First he saw the ongoing clearwell pump station project, which representatives of the commission said reflect the future of their filtration infrastructure. He was also shown the old slow sands filtration system, held in what is essentially an underground cavern with a wet, sandy floor. Commission spokesperson Jaimye Bartak said that the slow sands system is nearing the end of its useful lifespan, which in part necessitated the new project.

“Today’s tour of the West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant and its recent upgrades for sustainability and reliability prove that the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission is committed to protecting our most critical piece of infrastructure, our drinking water,” said Neal.

He thanked the state Department of Environmental Protection for helping to fund the upgrades.

He said that Massachusetts is fortunate to have reliable water infrastructure across the board, without many of the contamination issues plaguing other parts of the country like in Flint, Michigan.

“We are fortunate here for the professional achievement of this water supply,” said Neal.

Following Neal’s tour, he sat down for a roundtable with representatives of the commission, including Commission Chair Vanessa Otero and Executive Director Josh Schimmel, to discuss infrastructure investments that are needed across Massachusetts and New England.

Though the filtration plant is in Westfield, the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s water supply primarily serves residents of Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Ludlow and Springfield. The commission also provides partial or emergency water service to Westfield and Southwick, as well as Chicopee, West Springfield and Wilbraham. The water is drawn from the Borden Brook and Cobble Mountain reservoirs in Blandford and Granville, and after treatment is stored in the Provin Mountain Reservoir in Feeding Hills.