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Residents ask Norwalk WPCA to extend sewer to end of Mountain Street; board schedules public hearing for May 19
Summary
Residents at the end of Mountain Street urged the Norwalk Water Pollution Control Authority to extend a sanitary sewer to the end of their street because aging septic systems and runoff from a nearby school field are saturating yards. The WPCA voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing for May 19 on a related Boughton Street petition.
Residents who live at the end of Mountain Street told the Norwalk Water Pollution Control Authority on April 21 that aging septic tanks and a high water table are saturating yards and that the city should extend the sanitary sewer to the end of the street.
Santos Martinez of 184 Mountain Street said the neighborhood "still remain[s] in septic" and that "those systems ... are pretty pretty old," adding that failing systems and small lot sizes would make replacing septic tanks difficult. Sean Rosa, who lives at 178 Mountain Street and owns 180, said runoff from a nearby school field now flows into residents' yards and marshes the ground. Christina Velasquez, who lives at 188, told the board in Spanish that "we get a lot of water" and that conditions have "gotten worse since the field was built, the high school."
The speakers appeared in person at the WPCA conference room during the meeting's public participation portion; staff said a neighborhood petition had requested a sewer extension on Boughton Street and the board opened discussion about whether to proceed to a formal hearing.
Wilbur, a permanent engineer with the Department of Public Works, told the board the Boughton Street request is "being asked to be extended by the city to be incorporated into our capital projects, and ultimately for that cost to be passed on to the neighborhood should it get approved." He said the petition and neighborhood comments were factors for the board to consider when deciding whether to schedule a hearing.
After brief questions from commissioners, the WPCA voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing on the Boughton Street sanitary sewer extension for May 19 at 5:30 p.m. The board noted that if the project advances it would be incorporated into capital planning and that costs could be assessed to benefiting properties under the authority's established practices.
The public commenters asked the board to consider the practical effects on small lots and older septic systems, and described persistent surface water, standing wet areas, and continuous pump use at one property. The board encouraged residents to attend the May 19 public hearing to offer testimony in the formal record.
