Torrington council approves intermunicipal wastewater agreement with Litchfield amid public questions

The Torrington City Council, acting as the city—oard that oversees wastewater operations, approved an intermunicipal agreement with the town of Litchfield to allow Litchfield continued use of Torrington—acilities for wastewater treatment.

The agreement, approved at the July 21 meeting, establishes a two-part charge to Litchfield: an annual operations-and-maintenance (O&M) share and a proportional share of capital or debt-service costs tied to the shared collection/treatment facilities. Mayor Eleanor Carbone told the council that the IMA includes a floor on charges: "in no event shall the proportionate share be less than the rate set by the joint WPCA for operation and maintenance costs for 65,000 gallons," the standard residential allocation referenced in the contract.

Why it matters: Torrington owns and operates the treatment plant and related pipelines; the IMA sets how outside users pay for current and future upgrades and O&M. Litchfield will continue sending wastewater to Torrington rather than build its own treatment capacity for the same areas, and the agreement includes language to bill Litchfield for its share of capital improvements and debt service tied to the parts of the system their flow affects.

Key details from the IMA and council discussion - The agreement separates O&M costs from capital/debt-service costs and bills Litchfield the proportionate share for facilities they use. The IMA requires an annual amortization schedule showing Torrington ebt service for shared facilities. - Ray Drew (water/WPCA official) described the treatment plant capacity in technical terms during the meeting: "the facility is designed for 7,000,000 gallons a day." He and other officials said Litchfield's allocation under the new IMA drops from an earlier 150,000-gallon allocation to 40,000 gallons, freeing previously reserved capacity for Torrington growth. - Council members and WPCA staff said the arrangement does not transfer ownership: Torrington (the WPCA) retains title to plant and collection assets; Litchfield purchases capacity and pays O&M and capital shares tied to its flow.

Public reaction and next steps Public speakers expressed concern about rate fairness and transparency. Resident Michael Banziruk urged the council to pause the vote and present the IMA in a public forum; several other residents said they had not had adequate time to review the agreement before the vote. Council members and WPCA staff said the IMA includes protections and that annual billing and amortization schedules will make the capital and O&M charges transparent going forward.

The council approved the motion to authorize the mayor to execute the IMA. Council procedural questions raised during the meeting centered on how Litchfield—lows are measured and billed and whether non-Torrington users can be assessed above Torrington rates in future budgets; officials said annual budget processes and WPCA billing schedules will govern those decisions.

The council directed staff to proceed under the terms of the IMA and to provide amortization and billing detail to Litchfield and to the public as part of WPCA reporting.

Ending: Council members said they would continue to provide information to the public and that the WPCA will prepare annual statements showing Litchfield nd Torrington shares for O&M and capital debt service, as spelled out in the IMA.