Pepperell DPW Orders Urgent Letter to DEP Over Solar Farm Near Town Well

Board of Public Works · Meeting of July 16, 2026

Pepperell's Board of Public Works directed staff to send an urgent letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection raising concerns that a Bemis Road solar farm may contaminate the town's primary drinking-water well. DPW Director Paul told the board he had submitted a detailed objection letter to the Planning Board before the project was permitted, but the Planning Board relied on an independent engineer who cleared the plans, and the project proceeded; DEP subsequently surveyed the site last fall and raised its own concerns. The board directed the letter to DEP be sent within one to two weeks, with the Planning Board copied, and members floated a future Town Meeting ordinance that would require solar operators near municipal wells to post bonds against water-quality damage.

The board also gave unanimous informal approval to pursue green burials at town cemeteries, a service cemetery staffer Derek said would be limited initially to Pepperell residents and would generate lot-sale and grave-opening revenue without requiring new taxpayer funds. A draft updated cemetery bylaw, needed to legalize green burials and remove a conflicting embedded price list, is due at the August meeting ahead of the November Town Meeting. Separately, the board told Paul to inform Town Administrator Andrew that the board is "insisting" Treasury either return the headcount that had been posting water payments into the DPW billing system — a function quietly dropped around May 1 — or increase the department's chargeback accordingly.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,927 words

Source: the Board of Public Works meeting of July 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.