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Inter-Municipal Agreement with Lexington Brings MWRA Connection Closer

Burlington is one step closer to joining the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) and closing down the Vine Brook Treatment Plant.

In May of 2018, Town Meeting voted to allow the town to pay the $4.6 million fee to join the MWRA and an additional $700,000 to install a water line on Adams Street to connect the Burlington and Lexington water systems.

On Monday, DPW Director John Sanchez informed the Select Board that the Inter-Municipal agreement with Lexington had been finalized and the town was ready to start work on the next phase of the project.

“This is going to allow us to actually start construction of the next phase of our MWRA connection,” he said. “We are very excited because we’ll be starting the bid process next week and we hope to start construction before the end of the construction season this year and at least complete the water main portion by the end of calendar year in 2022. This will allow us to do that.”

When asked, Sanchez said this process will not need to be repeated in Phase 2 when the town makes a larger, permanent connection to the MWRA in Arlington.

“Thankfully that portion of the job is going to be constructed by the MWRA,” he explained. “They shortened our distance of the water main by a third when they agreed to take on that portion.”

He said the construction of that water main should also be completed by the end of next year though more work will need to be done before it can be put to use.

“They are designing their portion of the pipeline and the goal is to have bids in January or February so they can start construction in the same timeframe in 2022 and have their portion completed by the end of that year,” he said. “We’re working together and hopefully by the end of next year we’re going to have the new 24-inch line pipe coming from Arlington all the way to Burlington.”