Kingston Water Board Approves Easement, Confronts 18-Item DEP Consent Order

Water · Meeting of January 29, 2026

Kingston water board takes on 18-item DEP consent order with bylaw change and meter testing topping the list. The Board of Water Commissioners met January 29 and walked through a detailed table of tasks required under a state Department of Environmental Protection consent order tied to the town's unaccounted-for water problem. The board voted unanimously to require a 20-foot easement between lots three and four of the Fourth Street subdivision, extending to Rabbit Road, to preserve future water main access.

Water consultant Kristen warned that a revised water conservation bylaw — needed to authorize stricter drought restrictions including a full outdoor-watering ban at Level 1 drought, more stringent than what most Massachusetts towns must impose — must clear town meeting, with the warrant deadline falling in approximately March. An AWWA M36 water audit and an unaccounted-for water compliance plan are both due June 30, 2026. The board agreed to immediately pursue calibration testing of its six large-diameter well and system meters, a step commissioners said may be coverable within the current budget.

New hire Leo Kozlowski was approved by the Board of Selectmen and is set to begin February 2.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,023 words

Source: the Water meeting of January 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.