Water Quality and Road Infrastructure Top Concerns at Bridgewater Candidates Forum
Candidates discuss PFAS contamination, $70 million road maintenance backlog, and funding options during election debate
BRIDGEWATER - March 31, 2025 - Bridgewater's water quality and deteriorating roads dominated discussion at the recent Candidates Forum as Town Council hopefuls addressed how they would tackle these pressing infrastructure challenges.
The Department of Public Works recently released a public notice that PFAS levels in one of the town's three water sources exceeded contaminant levels set by the State Department of Environmental Protection, raising concerns about water safety and infrastructure capacity.
Candidates offered varying approaches to addressing these issues while balancing the town's budget constraints and development needs.
"Water quality and water availability obviously are paramount issues and they've certainly risen to the fore in Bridgewater in recent months," said Fred Chase, incumbent District 3 councillor. "PFAS contamination is difficult to detect and it exists in very minute parts per trillion."
Chase noted that Bridgewater's exceedance was "in the order of about 23 parts per trillion" compared to the state threshold of 20 parts per trillion, adding that some states set thresholds as high as 70 parts per trillion.
Sean Kennedy, challenging Chase for the District 3 seat, expressed frustration about the town's water problems.
"The well that has the PFAS in it is the one that we just retrofitted and unfortunately, we didn't put filters on that and we're dealing with PFAS," Kennedy said. "Our water has been a problem since I moved here. We have brown water regularly."
Johnny Loreti, candidate for councillor at large, highlighted his efforts to address the issue.
"I brought forward a piece of legislation which will enable Bridgewater to receive grant funds for PFAS remediation," Loreti said. "It's something that we need to be in compliance with in the next few years."
Marilee Kenny Hunt, also running for councillor at large, emphasized that PFAS contamination extends beyond Bridgewater.
"That is not just specific to Bridgewater in any way, shape or form. That is a national problem," Hunt said. "The fact that our level was what it was, was really what the state level said it was, which was better than a lot of other state levels."
The candidates also addressed the town's deteriorating roads, with an estimated $70 million in maintenance projects needed over the next three years. About $50.8 million of that is noted as debt exclusion funding.
Dr. Kevin Perry, incumbent councillor at large, explained the financial challenges of road repairs.
"To do one mile of topcoat on any road is about $350,000. And that same mile to include infrastructure costs $1.6 million," Perry said. "We get only about $1 million a year in Chapter 90 funds and the rest is basically up to the town to budget."
Jim Wilder, candidate for councillor at large, advocated for more consistent maintenance.
"It shouldn't get to that level. It should be a constant. Maintenance should be a constant," Wilder said. "It should be every year. It should be two or three main roads, some side roads. And by the time you're done with the whole town, you got to start over again."
Chase supported the idea of debt exclusion funding for road repairs.
"I think that debt exclusion funding is particularly appropriate for capital expenditures as opposed to operating expenditures," Chase said. "I do think that debt exclusion funding is probably our best vehicle for addressing that."
Kennedy agreed that debt exclusion might be necessary for the worst roads.
"If we have a few roads that are so badly damaged that we have sinkholes forming, a debt exclusion for those is something I think that we should consider," Kennedy said.
Eric Christiansen, candidate for councillor at large, suggested alternative approaches to reduce road wear.
"I think one of the ideas that we could use is to contract with a single provider for trash pickup," Christiansen said. "That would help reduce cost to the residents and it would reduce the wear and tear on the roads."
Candidates also discussed how water quality and infrastructure capacity affect the town's ability to attract commercial development.
"We have a water problem in town and we have continuous building that's being approved," Kennedy said. "I would like to see some kind of study on how this is impacting our water, impacting our current aging infrastructure as well as sewage."
Loreti emphasized the need for smart development.
"We need to pay attention to our development projects," Loreti said. "The town is like a business. We have to bring in additional revenue and we have to do that by increasing our tax base, but very smartly so we don't overburden our infrastructure."
The annual town election is scheduled for Saturday, April 26. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Bridgewater Middle School.