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Select Board hears progress report on Route 9 wastewater planning and regional options
Summary
A Select Board member leading Route 9 wastewater work briefed the board on recent studies, DEP guidance that ground discharge is the practical disposal option and outreach to neighboring towns and utilities; the board discussed a phased planning approach and potential funding next year.
Select Board member Al presented a progress report on planning for wastewater service along Route 9, saying the initiative aims to expand commercial and industrial development opportunities and relieve septic constraints on properties that lack suitable soil for private systems.
Al summarized prior engineering studies and recent outreach: staff met with the Framingham DPW about potential interconnection to Framingham’s system and discussed options with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which expressed concerns about peak combined-flow loading. The Select Board member said Westborough, Marlborough and Northborough also could play roles in a regional solution and that Marlborough and Northborough have expressed interest in additional capacity conversations.
The town’s technical advisors and state officials told the board that surface discharge (treated effluent released to a river or stream) poses regulatory challenges and that “ground discharge” — engineered subsurface absorption fields tied to a treatment facility — is the more practical method for the town to consider. Al said wastewater treatment has economies of scale that can make a regional approach more cost-effective and that designs can be built to expand in phases as new customers connect.
Next steps outlined by Al include briefing the Board of Health and the Economic Development Committee, continuing stakeholder outreach on Route 9, investigating suitable plant and disposal sites, clarifying whether the town should pursue a DEP “comprehensive plan” (wastewater-focused) or broader “integrated plan,” and exploring funding opportunities. He suggested the town consider completing a formal plan this year and seeking funding in the fall to support design work.
No final decisions were made; the Select Board asked for follow-up work, additional stakeholder coordination and a clearer cost estimate before any borrowing or formal warrant article was drafted.
