The Town Council and the Water and Sewer Commission of New Shoreham approved a management agreement and heard a detailed update on ongoing water and sewer infrastructure work, including a recently completed storage tank, two new wells, planned treatment‑building upgrades and an inspection of a 1970s outfall that may require costly repairs.

John, a staff member with the water system, told the joint meeting that "the storage tank is now completed, and it was operational this summer. It's working great." He said two wells have been drilled and developed, pump tests and basic water quality checks are complete, and one of the wells will be redeveloped next week to address silt issues that can affect reverse‑osmosis treatment.

The project team said electric, water and communications lines are installed underground. Staff said their goal is to have the currently planned work finished by May 2026 and the wells operational for next summer. Planning is under way for an expansion and renovation of the treatment building; staff said those plans should proceed to bidding this winter and that additional grant or loan funding will be sought at the town's financial meeting to provide borrowing authority.

Why it matters: Officials said the improvements are intended to meet peak summer demand driven by tourism and to provide more resilient service year‑round. The meeting also flagged potential, near‑term capital needs for the sewer outfall that discharges offshore and is subject to the district's RIPDES permit inspection requirements.

Dylan, a board member, reported unusually high summer flows: "we've got both July and August over 8,000,000 gallons for the month." Staff said there were multiple days with flows over 300,000 gallons (four days in July and six days in August), and that billing totals edged differently by month — July billed slightly lower while August finished about 3 percent higher than an earlier comparison cited by staff.

Commission and staff discussion covered several operational and capital topics. Staff said they are finalizing a resiliency report that includes raising critical pump stations five feet above specific flood levels and adding backup power; the long‑term scope for those resiliency measures was described as extending through about 2030 and built into the 10‑year capital plan.

On the sewer outfall, Jim, a staff member, described inspection findings and potential repairs. Divers will inspect the outfall to document the concrete encasement, metal sheeting and diffusers, and staff said some steel sheeting sections have corroded after roughly 50 years. Jim said replacing revetment stone, steel sheeting and related support could restore the structure for another 50 years. He estimated those repairs would be "close in the half a million plus range" and said the commission might pursue USDA funding or build capital over the next several years and could package the work with other planned projects.

Operations items included slip‑lining planned for Dodge Street and Water Street, scheduled to be completed in December. Staff described slip‑lining as installing an epoxy‑filled liner that is cured in place to restore pipe integrity without full excavation.

Commissioners and council members also discussed revenue options to offset infrastructure costs driven by high seasonal demand. One council member proposed exploring a dedicated percentage of certain taxes or charges to help cover water‑and‑sewer expenses tied to tourism. Staff described the district's current customer classifications and said large seasonal users pay higher monthly infrastructure charges, and the district is considering summer‑only increasing block rates (for example, higher block rates in July and August) to capture revenue from peak users and to encourage conservation. Staff cautioned that a formal rate study and billing implementation would be a significant effort requiring time and resources.

A motion from the town council side to approve the existing management agreement between the sewer and water district and the town passed by voice vote; the sewer/water commission then made a corresponding motion and also approved the agreement by voice. The meeting record did not provide roll‑call vote counts.

The meeting closed after members complimented staff on project progress and confirmed next steps: continued design and permitting work on the treatment building, completing the outfall inspection and a forthcoming report on recommended outfall repairs and costs, pursuing grant and loan options including USDA where feasible, and further work on rate design and revenue options to address seasonal demand.