The towns of Peterborough and Jaffrey are considering a joint project to buy and manage a group of wells for their municipal water systems.
A company based out of Chicago owns the parcel in question, named the Cold Stone Spring. It encompasses over 500 acres in Sharon and Jaffrey and includes three wells that have already received approval from the Department of Environmental Services to pump 577,000 gallons of water per day. Collectively, the towns expect to pump around 200,000 gallons per day.
The collaboration comes after projections in both towns of possible water shortages. One of Peterborough’s town wells has industrial toxins and can’t be remediated. Jaffrey is expecting a big bump in water demand as the pharmaceutical company, Millipore Sigma, expands its Jaffrey office.
Peterborough voters have already approved money for the project; Jaffrey voters will consider it next March.
In the meantime, Jaffrey town manager Jon Frederick says the two towns are hammering out a draft agreement on how to share expenses for purchasing and operating the wells site and building a treatment facility.
“It’s a necessary thing for communities in New Hampshire to start working together because money is tight and resources are tight,” he says.
