He wants the City Council to invite Aquaria representatives and the city’s public works commissioner to a future meeting to discuss the desalination plant’s efforts to find other water customers.
Almost three years after the Aquaria desalination plant came online, Brockton remains its only paying customer. The city is charged $5.02 million a year under contract, but has bought no Aquaria water since May.
Now, Councilor-at-large Thomas Brophy wants the council to invite Aquaria representatives and public works Commissioner Michael Thoreson to a future meeting to discuss the city’s plans for Aquaria water and Aquaria’s efforts to market itself to other communities.
John Condon, the city’s chief financial officer, said $5.02 million was budgeted for the fiscal year that began July 1 to pay the fixed costs in the Aquaria contract. Under the 20-year contract signed in 2002, the city must pay the fixed costs whether it buys water or not.
Another $546,850 was budgeted to pay for the actual purchase of water, but no charges have been incurred because the city has not bought any water from Aquaria since May, Water Systems Manager Brian Creedon said Monday.
Aquaria water comes to Brockton through a 16-mile pipeline from the Taunton River in North Dighton. The plant was completed in August 2008, and the city made its first buy of desalinated water in February 2009.
Costs are paid by water customers in Brockton, Whitman and parts of Hanson through a 60 percent water rate hike imposed in 2008.
Aquaria’s contract calls for the company to actively seek other customers to help offset costs to Brockton. Brophy said he would like to hear from Aquaria about those efforts.
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Creedon, adding that the water commission has also met with Aquaria to discuss the issue.
Brophy said he is concerned about reports that Advanced Power, the company proposing a power plant in the Oak Hill Industrial Park, wants to use Aquaria water for cooling.
Advanced Power has been denied permission by the city to use effluent from the sewer plant for cooling, so is asking state permission to use city water instead. The issue is before the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, Brophy said.
The desalination plant, built as a joint venture of Inima USA Corp. and Bluestone Energy Services, was conceived more than a decade ago as a solution to the city’s chronic water shortages. But by the time it came online, Brockton had ample water, thanks in part to conservation and main replacements.
City officials said it was a safeguard against future water shortages and a guarantee of water for future development.
Last fall, about 300,000 to 400,000 gallons of the 10 million gallons used in Brockton every day came from Aquaria.
The plant has the capacity to supply 5 million gallons a day, or 10 million when expanded.