From the Rehoboth Planning Board:

Thank you for taking time to reading the initial article from the Rehoboth Planning Board. It is our hope that we will provide important information regarding what is happening in and about Rehoboth.

Clean groundwater is a limited resource that we all depend on. Therefore, the Rehoboth Planning Board and Water Commission are working together in an attempt to ensure the safety of the town’s water resources.

During the upcoming Town Meeting, May 12, 2020, the Planning Board is proposing amendments to the Zoning By-Law and the Water Resource Map to further this goal of resource protection. Currently, the town’s groundwater protection district only encompasses approximately one-third of the town’s area, (the groundwater recharge zone that runs roughly north-to-south down the center of the town). It is the intent of the Planning Board and Water Commission to expand the groundwater protection district to encompass the entire town of Rehoboth. Currently, greater than 40% of the wells within the town are located outside of the groundwater protection district.

The purpose behind the amendment is to ensure that all groundwater wells within the town limits have equal protection whether they receive water from the Palmer River Watershed or from other watersheds that originates within Rehoboth but flows towards adjacent towns. This would allow the Planning Board to ensure that the commercial storage of petroleum liquids, hazardous chemicals, and other potentially harmful materials are stored in a safe manner. Some activities will continue to be allowed “by-right,” such as, agricultural and gardening activities, storage of petroleum products for normal consumptive use at residential properties stored in approved containers, among other uses. Other commercial activities will be prohibited, such as waste disposal facilities, hazardous waste storage and/or disposal facilities, among other prohibitions. A Special Permit granted by the Planning Board will allow some activities that are currently prohibited in the groundwater protection district but allowed outside the district. These uses include the storage of petroleum products and hazardous products at commercial/retail facilities, industrial/commercial facilities that store hazardous waste products for future transfer and disposal outside the town limits, and other normal commercial uses of petroleum and hazardous products. The use of Special Permits allows the Planning Board to protect the town’s groundwater by ensuring commercial facilities store materials at in appropriate storage containers, handle the materials in appropriate manners, and not store excessive quantities of materials at their facilities.

Please be aware, these changes allow the Planning Board to have new commercial and industrial facilities demonstrate compliance with the Groundwater Protection By-Law. Existing commercial and industrial facilities will be “grandfathered” and not required to implement the new requirements unless a facility makes changes to their equipment or work processes that require review. Residents, while subject to the regulation, are not required to demonstrate compliance with the Groundwater Protection By-Law for typical household purposes unless they are required to come before the Planning Board for a residential business requiring approval.

In addition to our efforts to protect the town’s groundwater and other natural resources, future articles in this series will provide information outlining issues before the board to improve resident’s understanding of concerns facing the Town. The Planning Board meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month; everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings.