Stonington ― First Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding between Stonington and Westerly regarding a project that will link two dead-end water lines in Pawcatuck, thus improving fire safety.

The Board of Selectmen on Wednesday night approved the MOU, which the Westerly Town Council approved July 25 and Westerly Town Manager Shawn Lacey signed. The MOU is necessary because the Westerly Water Department owns and operates the water supply system in Pawcatuck.

The water system that’s part of the Water Loop Project lies between Route 1, Greenhaven and Mary Hall roads, and River Road. Chesebrough said there’s an existing main the town is trying to connect to on Greenhaven Road and the other dead end is on Mary Hall Road. But she said the final scope will depend on design and engineering work, how much ledge is found, and costs.

The MOU states that Stonington is responsible for the design and administration of the construction project. The Westerly Water Department has no say in design or timing, but upon completion of the project, it is responsible for maintenance. The MOU is active for three years and can be renewed for additional two-year terms.

The project is happening thanks to $1,952,130 in federal funding; this allocation is part of the 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which President Joe Biden signed March 15.

Chesebrough said Stonington is working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The town has until the end of the year to get information to HUD, but Chesebrough said they’re trying to send the information by the end of August. HUD must then give the green light before Stonington can get the $1.9 million, so the first selectwoman said she doesn’t have a timeline for project work yet.

The Water Loop Project stems from a 2018 report prepared by C&E Engineers, which determined that the water line system is undersized. That’s when Pawcatuck Fire Chief Kevin Burns “got on the bandwagon” and said that Stonington needs to connect pipe at least to River Crest Drive.

Burns explained that in the 1980s, the state paid for the extension of the water line on South Broad Street, Route 1, to a certain point on Greenhaven Road, because the well water in that area was polluted from the dump.

But Burns said due to a lot of development since then ― such as Spruce Meadows, Stonington Arms, the addition to Davis-Standard, and storage facilities on Extrusion Drive ― there’s a bigger demand for water.

If there was a sizable fire, the fire department would be pumping from the same line. And if a water main break can’t be fixed quickly enough, buildings with sprinkler systems have to be evacuated.

“Evacuating the police station is very difficult because of the 911 center, and evacuating the high school is very difficult because it’s the emergency shelter,” Burns said.

Chesebrough said the project cost “was far too much money for local taxpayers to handle when it impacts such a small part of town.” The town spent a while looking for funding until getting the $1.9 million federal allocation.

e.moser@theday.com