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Sewer advisory committee recommends pumping Swansea wastewater to Keene; board warned of likely rate increases
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Summary
A town committee recommended routing Swansea’s sewage to Keene via new pump stations as a five-year solution; the board was told the plan would likely require rate increases and may not be implemented until 2030–2031 depending on Keene’s upgrades and regional agreements.
The Swansea Sewer and Water Advisory Committee recommended a long-term approach to address the town’s treatment-plant permit difficulties: pump effluent to Keene via one or two new pump stations and connect into Keene’s system, contingent on Keene’s scheduled Winchester Street upgrades.
A committee member briefed the planning board after a site visit to the treatment plant and said the approach could open sewer service to additional land along Route 10. "The committee voted to make a recommendation to the selectmen for a long-term plan for the plant: to pump the influent into Keene via Route 10," the member said.
The committee member cautioned that construction would likely not occur before 2030–2031 because it depends on Keene’s capital improvements schedule; the proposal could require two pump stations and creates the potential for expanded sewer-served development along the corridor. The speaker warned current sewer ratepayers would bear most costs and that rate increases are likely; the committee is evaluating sewer-rate impacts and said municipal bonds or grants can offset some but not all local costs.
Board members asked for GIS maps overlaying sewer coverage and zoning; staff agreed to provide those maps by the next meeting to help assess the proposal’s implications for development and fiscal planning.
No formal vote on routing was taken at the planning-board meeting; the committee’s recommendation will go to the selectmen for further action and to follow-up with Keene and Sullivan County as needed.
