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Committee votes to update sewer financial model to include master plan, flow metering and siphon upgrade
Summary
The advisory committee approved updating the sewer financial model to incorporate the siphon‑station upgrade, a master plan update and a new flow‑metering program; staff gave preliminary cost estimates for the master plan ($300,000) and flow metering (~$120,000).
The Bedford Water and Sewer Advisory Committee voted to update the town’s sewer financial model to incorporate three new budget drivers: the siphon‑station upgrade, an expanded master plan update and a spring 2026 flow‑metering program.
Staff said the updated model is needed because Bedford’s billing from Manchester is calculated as Bedford’s percentage of total influent flow plus strength (BOD/TSS). Manchester’s ongoing combined‑sewer‑overflow (CSO) projects and occasional changes in flow patterns have altered Bedford’s billed share, making the prior model insufficient for near‑term planning.
"I expect the master plan to be around 300,000. The flow metering is ... gonna be around 120,000," Eric (the Chair) said when reviewing order‑of‑magnitude costs. Staff added that future BOD and TSS management could add substantial operating costs depending on loading; they gave a scenario range of $30,000–$50,000 per month for potential future treatment expenses if loading increases.
Committee members asked how the changes would affect residential users. Staff said the projects and potential incremental bills would be managed through the enterprise fund and rate study; the flow‑metering work is a one‑time baseline investment that can be used in future calibrations and modeling.
The committee approved a motion to update the financial model now, to reflect the additional capital and potential operating costs, and to incorporate the master plan scope so rate projections align with planned projects.
Next steps: staff will integrate the siphon project and flow‑metering scope into the model, circulate revised budget assumptions and return with modeled rate impacts for committee review.
