Wells at water treatment facility set to come back online

Three wells at the water treatment facility at 579 Old Westport Road are set to come back online after nearly six years of being shut down.

In October 2020, a storm caused the facility and Pinelli wells to shut down due to bacteria.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recently completed an inspection of the facility, giving the Department of Public Works to reactivate a contact pipe system and the wells as well.

When the wells were last operating in 2020, they made a little over 15 million gallons of water per month, according to Department of Public Works Director Tim Barber.

He said that he doesn’t currently have a number for what percentage of the town’s water supply will now be coming from the Pinelli wells but stated, “Hopefully we can supply a lot more water and get back to our below 20% reliance on New Bedford Water.”

Bringing these wells back online comes at a time when Dartmouth is working to decrease its reliance on purchasing water from New Bedford, which cost the town $2.2 million in Fiscal Year 2025.

In Fiscal Year 2026, which began on July 1, the town budgeted to purchase $1.6 million from New Bedford, though had already reached $1.8 million in December 2025.

In addition to increasing water rates by 13%, bringing the wells back online should decrease Dartmouth’s reliance on New Bedford.

“It will be a big relief once it gets back online,” Barber said.