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Public works warns of new wastewater permit requirements; Ferry Street Bridge water main installed
Summary
Public works reported the city’s SPDES permit review could require new monitoring and a dechlorination system, that staff located and dye‑tested the wastewater outfall, and that the Ferry Street Bridge water main and other DRI infrastructure work are near completion.
Rob, representing the city’s public works function, briefed councilors on wastewater, water and public‑works projects during the May 12 informal meeting.
He said the state’s draft SPDES (wastewater) permit contains more monitoring requirements and emerging contaminant testing that will increase laboratory work and costs. “We probably will have to add a dechlorination system at the end of the treatment process, which is going to be very costly,” he said.
Rob said staff went out to locate the city’s discharge point using historical drawings and dye testing; the pipe was found about 12 to 15 feet below the surface. He said crews will survey the outlet to record diameter, diffuser presence and elevation as required by regulators, and that the new permit’s requirements will likely take three to four years to implement after permit issuance.
On lead service lines, Rob said crews are potholing corporation stops at about 20 properties to identify service material as part of a federally required inventory. He reported no violations in the recent water‑quality report; one sample flagged an odor subjectively and was cleared on re‑sampling.
Rob also described capital work: milling and paving resumed after heavy rain caused subbase damage, and the Ferry Street Bridge water service main has been connected, pressure tested and sampled; once bacteriological tests clear, the new main will be placed in service and will create a looped distribution system to improve water quality.
He said docks at the boat launch were replaced and that DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) projects are approaching completion on sidewalks, benches and landscaping. Rob cautioned that some future permit changes and monitoring for emerging contaminants (PFAS and similar analytes) may become routine requirements and will carry recurring costs.
No formal council action was taken during the informal briefing; staff said they will continue to brief the council as permit details and capital project timelines are finalized.
