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Council sets first reading and 30‑day public comment for updated Sewer Use Ordinance
Summary
The council agreed to advertise and bring first reading of proposed updates to the town’s Sewer Use Ordinance to allow the 30‑day public comment period required by state regulators; staff said changes are technical and unlikely to affect local businesses.
Town staff and the pretreatment coordinator presented proposed updates to the town Sewer Use Ordinance July 23. The changes affect several sections and reflect periodic state and EPA guidance; staff said the revisions mostly tweak local limits and testing parameters (including adding metals such as arsenic and cadmium) and are not expected to change day‑to‑day operations for local businesses.
Because the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) requires a public comment period of at least 30 days for such changes, the council agreed to advertise the ordinance for first reading and hold the formal first reading at the Aug. 20 council meeting to allow the comment period to run. Staff told councilors that the local pretreatment coordinator and laboratory data indicate the changes should not impose new requirements on local breweries, distilleries or other small users unless a large new discharger arrives.
Council members asked for the public comment advertisement to proceed; no vote on the ordinance language was taken at the July 23 meeting beyond approving the advertisement and scheduling the first reading after the public comment period.
