Dighton Stormwater Committee Votes to Order New Engineering Review of Solar Farm Basins

DIGHTON — December 17, 2025 — Dighton's Stormwater Committee voted unanimously to seek an engineering site visit and expanded work proposal at the MACS solar farm after a Weston and Sampson review flagged structural discrepancies in all three stormwater detention basins. Committee Chair Nancy Goulart said she will write to the Planning Board requesting that Weston and Sampson perform a baseline inspection and prepare an amended proposal — funded through a 53G account that received its first invoice of approximately $1,400 — to cover follow-up visits pegged to EPA Construction General Permit precipitation thresholds, with six inspections proposed as an initial figure. Engineer Jim Reardon, attending remotely, said the November 18 memorandum found as-built embankment elevations in Basin 3 more than a foot below design, an unapproved orifice in Basin 2, and conditions across all three basins that "represent potential safety hazards" without a full hydraulic and hydrological study to confirm design intent. MACS, notified of the meeting, sent no representative. The committee also welcomed new member William McGrady Jr., the town's Building Commissioner, replacing founding member Jim Aguiar.