Fryeburg consultant reports on aquifer study Tuesday

By David Carkhuff

Peter Garrett, a consultant studying the capacity of Fryeburg's aquifer, will report his findings at a meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the rescue building.Fryeburg Aquifer Resource Committee, a volunteer group, recruited Garrett to research the town's aquifer. Study of the aquifer was spurred by interest from Poland Spring in building a bottling plant here. While these plans have been on hold, as Maine considers a special tax on bottled water, the amount of water drawn from Fryeburg's aquifer remains controversial.Starks Hill, fed from the aquifer by pumps, provides a steady flow of water to customers, which ranges in demand from 150,000 gallons per day in the winter to 400,000 gallons per day in the summer.Income from sales of water for resale and rental revenue has jumped from $14,133 in 1999 to $131,722 in 2003. In 2002, the amount was $45,984, according to a Fryeburg Water Co. income statement. Fryeburg Water Co. extracted 80 million gallons of water for Pure Mountain Springs in 2003.A petition before Maine Public Utilities Commission scrutinizes Fryeburg Water Co. services and "alleges that the companys service has not been reliable; that sales to Pure Mountain Spring LLC for resale purposes may exceed the capacity of the aquifer from which the company draws its water; that increased revenues from Pure Mountain Springs should be used to upgrade the water system or decrease rates; and that the company should be required to develop a comprehensive plan for improvements to its system," according to PUC documents.Garrett's hydrogeology firm, Emery and Garrett Groundwater Inc. of Waterville, conducted an aquifer test last fall.For more information about Tuesday's meeting, call Fryeburg Aquifer Resource Committee Chairman Gene Bergoffen at (207) 935-7950.