An IntervIew wIth PAul J. FerlAnd AdmInIstrAtor oF CommunIty utIlItIes

CIty oF FAll rIver, mA

Will you please provide us with some insight into your education, past experience, and history that led you into your current position?

I am a lifelong Fall River resident. I graduated from Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in 2001 and went on to UMass Dartmouth for Civil Engi neering, Class of 2006. I worked for the US Navy MWR as a Project Manager for the Northeast region as a civil ian employee. I left there to take a Project Manager posi tion in the Community Utilities Department for the City of Fall River in 2012. I advanced within that department first to Deputy Administrator and since 2019 to the Adminis trator’s position, heading up the department.

Being a developed City, Fall River has an extensive infrastructure including roads, sidewalks, and all the utilities beneath the streets. Please tell us how the City’s Infra structure is managed?

Being a City with a population of 100,000 the respon sibilities of taking care of the infrastructure is divided between several separate departments, with each one reporting to the Mayor. Under City Operations there is a Department of Community Maintenance that takes care of the road and sidewalk repairs and improvements, snow removal, and city vehicle repairs. The Parks and Recreation Department handles the extensive system of parks, ballfields, playgrounds, and other green areas owned by the city. The City Engineering Department coordinates with all departments to prioritize the roadway infrastructure needs and also the various public and private utility projects. My department, Community Utilities, is separate from City Operations and is responsible for the city’s water, sewer, and drainage systems.

Will you please describe the water and sewer systems that exist in Fall River, and what duties the Community Utilities Department has in managing them?

Fall River has a great and long history in water and sewer. Our water department dates back 150 years to when Fall River was a booming mill city. Most of the water system – about 230 miles of mains – was installed before 1940 and was almost exclusively cast-iron pipe. Although many of the old mill factories using water have disappeared, we still pump out about 11 million gallons per day (MGD) to 20,000 residential customers and 2,000 commercial customers. We have a water treatment plant (WTP) at North Watuppa Pond that can treat and deliver up to 21 MGD.

With a staff of 48 city employees in the water division we take care of all the mains, 22,000 water services, seven water storage tanks, three booster stations, and the WTP. Fall River supplies water to several other surrounding towns and can supply three more towns through emergency connections, if needed.

Much of the water system has been cement lined over the years. We have been replacing mains and water services steadily over the last twenty years by budgeting $4 million to $5 million per year, which we put out to public bid.

Our wastewater/stormwater system consists of about 250 miles of piping, much of it dating back to the early 1900s. About 90% of the homes and buildings in Fall River are sewered and our system also accepts flows from parts of three other towns. The stormwater is separated in about 50 miles of the system, but the remaining 200 miles operate continued on page 31

Public Works Pipeline continued from page 29 as a combined system. That means during rain events most of the 6,000 catch basins will be adding rainwater into the old sewer lines that flow to our Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) on Bay Street.

The WWTP treats sewage flows of about 26 MGD in dry weather but has been designed with a capacity of 106 MGD, which allows it to handle most rain events. In 2013 we completed construction of a three-mile deep-rock tunnel that can temporarily store 85 million gallons during severe rain events to eliminate combined sewer overflows into Mount Hope Bay. The operation of the WWTP and maintenance of our combined system is contracted out to Veolia USA. Replacement of old sewer/drain piping and major upgrades to the WWTP are put out to public bid.

What do you see as the most pressing Water and Sewer needs for Fall River in the next few years, and is there a 5-year Asset Management Plan in place to address those needs?

As with most municipal utilities, our most pressing need is funding. Many parts of the City are still being served by aging infrastructure nearing the end of its useful life. The City prepared a 20-year Master Plan for the water system in 2015 and a 40- year Plan for the sewer and drain system in 2016. New Federal Regulations and emergency projects have hampered some of our plans and pushed costs up. Balancing rate increases and needed budgets are a challenge every year when we try to maintain these long-term infrastructure plans.

We hope to continue with annual investments into our water system and hope to eliminate the remaining 3,200 lead water services within the next few years. We have some isolated flooding issues that have recently gained priority and are taxing our combined sewer system. Both of our Treatment plants are substantial investments for the City and they require major funds annually to replace/repair components and to maintain compliance.

How has Fall River historically funded Utility projects? Does the City utilize the SRF Loan Program through MassDEP for water or sewer infrastructure projects?

The City of Fall River is one of the largest borrowers through the State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program. We have been using Clean Water SRF since the late 1990s and Drinking Water SRF since the early 2000s. We have had great luck applying for and managing grants to help offset the cost continued on page 33