Planning Board Proposes Water Resources Protection District to Safeguard Ellis Well Field-August 14, 1984

A special town meeting in September will be asked to regulate development and property uses within a 2.5-mile area along Route 1 to protect the Ellis Avenue well field and other potential water supply areas. Town meeting representatives will be asked to enact zoning that would create a water resources protection district. The intent is to control the use of road salt, the storage of petroleum products, and the use of hazardous materials within the district. The proposal also addresses sewage disposal and promotes drainage systems for newly developed properties to ensure that surface water successfully recharges the groundwater supply.

Following a public hearing last night, the Planning Board decided to have the selectmen place the proposed zoning bylaw on the warrant for the special town meeting scheduled for September 24. Chairman Paul J. Donohue stated that the board would withhold an official vote until all five members could be present, as two members were absent. However, Donohue indicated his personal support for the measure and predicted his board would be “somewhat unanimous.”

Although Norwood has drawn its municipal water from the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) supply since the 1950s and does not currently pump from the Ellis Avenue wells, Town Manager John J. Carroll emphasized that the new restrictions would “protect what could be a valuable resource for the town of Norwood on Route 1.” Carroll noted that the Ellis wells could potentially yield 2.5 million gallons of water per day, though synthetic organic compounds present in the water would require treatment.

Though two-thirds of the targeted watershed lies within neighboring Westwood, local officials there were reportedly not yet ready to enact a matching protection district, despite Westwood having been represented on the joint two-town study committee. Nevertheless, Carroll expressed confidence that Westwood would eventually establish similar safeguards. Carroll also pointed out that the bylaw applies strictly to future development and does not impact existing commercial operations.

Community groups played a central role in shaping the compromise proposal. Margery H. McKenna, representing the Norwood League of Women Voters, explained, “We’re trying to prevent runoff… We think we’ve come up with a pretty good product,” noting that much of the acreage within the planned district is already developed. Aira Johnson of the Women’s Community Committee Inc. echoed those sentiments, emphasizing that proponents were not trying to stifle industry, but rather addressing environmental concerns stemming from the proposed extension of the University Avenue industrial area. Under the tiered bylaw structure, the most restrictive regulations—including a debated ban on road salt—would apply directly around the Ellis well field, while more lenient rules would govern primary and secondary recharge areas east and west of Route 1.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger