The College will sink about $75,000 in a study of the financially-troubled Hanover Water Works, a utility many customers complain produces discolored or odd-tasting water.
The Town of Hanover and Dartmouth share ownership in the company, with the College owning 52.8 percent of the shares. While the water is safe to drink, its quality has been impaired by the 75-year old series of pipes and lack of filtration for sediment and silt, according to company president Jack Nelson.
The $75,000 will pay for a team of lawyers, accountants and engineers to study the business and infrastructure and recommend a course of action for the shareholders to follow.
The company may consider installing a filtration system at the water source and tapping into underground aquifers, Nelson said. Hanover Water Works received a special exemption from a state law requiring water sources to have a filtration system.
College Counsel Cary Clark, who has served on the company's board of directors for more than 10 years, said the company will consider changes in its administrative and management structure, perhaps by having the Town of Hanover operate the utility.
"It's been a good working partnership with the town, and we want to continue working together on the long-term planning," Clark said.
Clark said that recently tightened state and federal laws were another reason for the utility to "step back and review the whole structure."
He said that even though the current system is adequate, "we ought to review the alternatives to make sure in the long-term we are using the best system for providing water."
