A sewage main leak off of Donalbain Close Road on Nov. 18, 2018 prompted a joint meeting between Edgartown selectmen and the town water and wastewater commissions Monday.

Although the town responded to the leak the day after it was reported, confusion has since circulated among abutters about the extent of the water contamination.

According to town administrator James Hagerty, the town held the meeting to “dispel rumors or anything that might not have happened and be as transparent about the situation as possible.”

Donalbain Close Road resident Stuart Fuller discovered the leak on his property this fall when he noticed “a foul odor going on for a few days” in his yard north of the Edgartown-West Tisbury highway. Mr. Fuller then notified the wastewater department of the leak.

According to testimony at the meeting from wastewater facilities manager David Thompson, the department hired Farrissey Telecom to excavate, repair and backfill a “bubbling,” 1.5-inch lateral crack on the two-inch sewage main, with the company removing 25 cubic yards of contamination between Nov. 19 and 20.

Mr. Thompson said he did not know how long the pipe had been leaking.

“Because it was such a tiny leak, with the rainy weather and the leaves being in November, it took a while for it to become apparent,” Mr. Thompson said. “So we have no idea how long this could have been going on.”

The wastewater department then contacted the Edgartown board of health, according to Mr. Thompson, to test the private wells of abutters for further contamination.

“Immediate concern was that the closest abutter’s private well was 54 feet from the break,” Mr. Thompson said. He also said that the board of health tested wells 57, 117, and 118 feet away from the leak. State law sets the maximum area of concern for leaks of this size at 100 feet.

Edgartown health agent Matt Poole said that the initial test results were negative, showing a very low nitrogen count at less than 1 part per million. The Environmental Protection Agency sets 10 parts per million as an unsafe nitrate count. While Mr. Poole said that the tests revealed an unusually high sodium count, he believed the high sodium levels did not relate to the sewage leak.

“I think you would be severely challenged to try to connect sodium to this leak,” Mr. Poole said.

Even with the low measured nitrogen counts, the town has offered remediation for the four closest abutters who were concerned about the quality of their well water. The town water department has offered to forgo the permitting cost for tying into town water, to install a lateral pipe to the property line at the cost of materials, and to cover the plumbing costs of installation. They have also proposed a five-year moratorium on water usage fees for those four residents, and to continue testing private wells for all abutters on Donalbain Close Road.

“The burden of tying into town water would be lightened,” Mr. Thompson said.

Remediation will cost the town $28,800, officials estimated.

Abutters who attended the meeting felt appreciative of the town’s response and remediation offers, but expressed concern about their water quality moving forward and their struggle over the past two months.

“We never needed bottled water before,” Mr. Fuller said. “Every day, it’s three or four gallons of bottled water for my family. The remediation that took place was limited to whatever Farrissee needed to fix the pipe. I don’t think anything else took place.”

Selectmen said the most important step moving forward was to get started on the plumbing work for the abutters, regardless of cost.

“It would be my hope that we get this done as quickly as possible,” selectman Arthur Smadbeck said. “We’re not going to be wondering where we find $30,000. For now, getting it done is the most important thing. Don’t let money stand in the way.”

“In the short term, we can pick up the tab,” Mr. Thompson said. “But we’re going to need something by the end of the year.”

Selectmen suggested the water department reimburse themselves through a town meeting warrant. According to Mr. Hagerty, the town cannot file an insurance claim because there was no expressed “loss” with the leak.