Groveland Select Board Approves National Grid Lease Over Aquifer Contamination Concerns

Select Board · Meeting of July 6, 2026

Groveland Select Board votes 3-1 to lease town's aquifer-protection land to National Grid for $475,000. The board approved a three-year license agreement Monday allowing National Grid to use approximately 10 acres at 150 Center Street — purchased in 2013 to protect the municipal aquifer — as a staging area for a transmission line replacement, starting at $150,000 annually with a 5 percent escalator. Residents Jan Dempsey and Mike Dempsey of 33 Uptack Road argued the site falls within Zone 2 of the town's wellhead protection area and urged the board to consider risks from petroleum spills, soil compaction, and habitat impacts before voting.

Town Administrator Rebecca Feener said the agreement requires National Grid to comply with all local permitting requirements and allows the town to terminate within 60 days. In a separate action, the board received a hazardous materials survey of the long-troubled Valley Screw Superfund building at 64 Washington Street, which found roughly 12,000 square feet of asbestos-containing roof shingles and additional floor tile and ceiling material — directly contradicting an earlier MassDEP finding of no asbestos — and heard that demolition cost estimates stand at roughly $1.2 million with no clear funding path.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
• The question before the body
• Substantive content
• The deliberation
• Procedural steps and outcome
• Implications and what is next
• The complete report — 4,867 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.