Westborough public works outlines wastewater shortfall, signals moratorium review in spring

Westborough d—ristina (Sept. 17, 2024) d—hris Pant, Westborough's director of public works, told the Planning Board on Tuesday that the town has committed more permitted sewer flow to developers and projects than its state permit allows and that staff are conducting a comprehensive wastewater management plan (CWMP) update to reconcile the numbers.

Pant said the regional wastewater plant's total permitted capacity is 7.68 million gallons per day (MGD) and Westborough's permitted allocation to that plant is 2.89 MGD. By contrast, he said, the town has identified about 4.27 MGD of flow it has permitted to properties across town. Metered actual flow to the plant is roughly 2.07 MGD, with projected growth in the coming years.

"We've committed written checks to people that we couldn't necessarily cash, so to speak," Pant said, describing why the town imposed a moratorium on new sewer hookups in May. He urged the board and public that staff are working to refine assumptions that drive the planning numbers, including how much per-bedroom wastewater demand the town uses from Title 5 standards.

Why it matters: The gap between the town's permit-limited allocation and the sum of permitted allocations could constrain development and require regulatory change at the regional permit level. Pant said the town is holding workshops with staff and stakeholders to revise input assumptions (for example, reducing a per-bedroom factor now modeled at 110 gallons per bedroom to a lower figure) and to determine whether some previously permitted but unused allocations can be reclaimed.

What's next: Pant said staff will collect workshop feedback, update the CWMP analysis and return with an iteration of the allocation table. He said the town aims to reassess the moratorium by spring (March–May) and that changes to assumptions could allow the moratorium to be lifted sooner. "I suspect we'll be lifting it, if not then, then potentially sooner," Pant said.

Questions from board members focused on regional allocation and enforcement. Joe Baccadore, assistant town engineer, said reallocating allocation among towns would require updated CWMPs for each municipality and approval from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a process he called possible but not quick. Baccadore also noted that building a new town treatment plant is technically feasible but would likely cost tens of millions of dollars and take many years to permit and construct.

Public-application impact: Local engineers and applicants said the moratorium creates immediate practical concerns for projects that prefer sewer connections over costly on-site septic systems. Jacob Murray of Waterfill Design Group said his client is preparing a 3,000-gallon septic system only because the moratorium leaves no certainty sewer access will be available in the near term; Pant said staff will work to provide clearer timing at preconstruction meetings.

The next procedural step is for staff to finish the review of assumptions and publish an updated allocation table; the board and town intend to revisit the moratorium in the spring.