WOBURN - Members of the council's Water Committee challenged the necessity of an additional $2.5 million storage and support building at the Horn Pond water treatment plant at a quarterly Water Committee meeting this week.

During an update on the proposed $33 million overhaul of Woburn's water system, Ward 7 Alderman Raymond Drapeau questioned when a second addition to the Horn Pond facility was tacked onto the proposal.

Last February, the last time the Water Committee was updated on the plans, an addition was proposed toward the rear of the functional water treatment plant.

Within that structure, the city will use media filtration technology to remove natural iron and maganese deposits, which gives the well water a red-brown hue.

The upgrade will also include the installation of UV reactors, which will further disinfect the water before chlorine is added.

Earlier this week, renderings of the proposed site also included a second box, which would house another building in a current staging area located closest to Horn Pond, near the paved turnaround access road/parking area at the site.

"I don't remember a second building being offered up when you were doing the analysis for the pilot program," responded Drapeau. "Knowing that site and walking by it quite often, that's a staging area for the cleaning and relining equipment."

"I was looking forward to that area being cleaned-up, where it's closer to the pond," the Ward 7 Alderman continued. "Having this new building would be a detriment to the aesthetics of that area."

According to Carol Rego, a water quality consultant employed by Camp Dresser Mckee, the new building was intended to serve two purposes:

1) To stretch out the piping carrying water treated with potassium permanganate, and

2) To prevent contamination by storing all vehicles and repair equipment indoors.

City Engineer Jay Corey later pointed out that although there is another building located on the front of the property, also bordering the pond, the structure and its equipment is considered to be of significant historic value.

Corey also emphasized that the second building addition could be covered within the $33 million bond approved for the system-wide improvements.

Rego later admitted that the piping could be stretched out by connecting to a tank outside the original addition, but cautioned that the existing facility lacked adequate space for repairing and storing equipment.

"The question did become protecting the water supply from contamination of equipment in that area," the consultant explained. "There is really no real place to do equipment maintenance. And we're going to be adding equipment."

Alderwoman-at-large Joanna Gonsalves, noting that the second addition appeared to be just as large as the existing plant facility, later suggested that the storage area be downsized to make the proposed building's footprint smaller.

Based upon the timetable outlined this week, the city plans to submit the final design for the treatment plant to Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials in October of 2008.

Requests for proposals would then be issued in Feb. of 2009, with the contract being awarded in April of that year. Construction would commence in May of 2009 and conclude in Nov. of 2010.

City Council President Charles Doherty later sought assurances that those deadlines, which will be considered concrete by DEP officials, will be met.

In particular, Doherty was concerned that the city had previously missed several target dates in the past due to delays.

"You're saying definite time frames up there. How can you guarantee those given our track record?" the City Council President asked.

According to Rego, deadlines in the past had been missed due to extenuating circumstances, and DEP officials had been kept appraised of the delays in each of those cases.