Rochester Selectmen have reviewed the draft and are ready to sign the agreement between Rochester and the town of Marion regarding water taken from the town at Marion-owned wells, which according to selectmen, has not changed since it was first signed 48 years ago.

"We have an existing water agreement with Marion. The last one was signed in 1970, and it is close to expiring. We wanted to get a head of it and get a new one drafted," Selectmen Chairman Woody Hartley said at the board's Aug. 20, meeting.

The water agreement between the two towns is set to expire in April of 2021.

Hartley declined to divulge what is in the draft, saying Marion has not signed it yet so he didn't think it appropriate to go public with it. However, the selectmen chairman did offer some insight on the updated agreement.

"It's just a new agreement that they (Marion) can take the water that they've been taking from Rochester," Hartley said. "They'll continue to do pretty much exactly what's been going on. If they need to find more water, they can come look for it. They will still provide Rochester residents on the waterline with water (for a metered fee)."

The Town of Marion owns five public water wells in Rochester. They are located on Mary's Pond Road, New Bedford Road and another near Route 105 and Mary's Pond Road.

"We're entitled to 50 percent of anything they take," Hartley said. So we can get 50 percent if they build a new development and its on the (water) line."

"It doesn't cost us anything and people get water," Hartley said. "If you see a hyrant, there's water."

"It's a cleaned up version of that same thing," Hartley reiterated. "There's nothing controversial here."

"I have no issues with it," Selectman Brad Morse said.

Selectman Paul Ciaburri said he has no issues with the agreement either.

Hartley said the board will likely sign the new water agreement at the board's Sept. 4, meeting to coincide with Marion selectmen signing it.