Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water And Wastewater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County, Town Officials Discuss Well Testing After Low-Level Result; Pump Stations Need Major Repairs
Summary
County and Chestertown officials discussed joint funding for quarterly well testing after a low-level positive on Well 23 and detailed costly pump-station overhauls, with preliminary estimates of roughly $250,000 per major station.
County and Chestertown officials discussed sharing the cost of quarterly well testing and long-term repairs to aging wastewater pump stations during a joint meeting.
A town official said, “we did have a positive test on the Well 23,” noting the result was “still under the legal limits by a significant amount” but raised concern that prompted regular monitoring. County staff said the testing would likely start in late May or June and run quarterly thereafter. “We’d pay half of it,” a county official said when the possibility of splitting the cost was raised, though participants agreed any formal commitment would be made through upcoming budget processes.
The discussion followed staff presentations about aging wastewater infrastructure. Public works staff described 12 pump stations plus a wastewater plant and identified three stations as priorities for overhaul; they gave a mid-range estimate of about $250,000 to fully rebuild each major station, with smaller and larger projects ranging from roughly $100,000 to $400,000 depending on station size and scope. “For each of them, it’s two pumps, possibly an extra to have on a spare,” a public works representative said, noting some components are nonstandard and replacements can be costly and slow to procure.
Officials also described emergency options. County staff said towable diesel portable pumps are available for emergency bypasses and advised towns to check inventories and coordinate with county water-and-wastewater teams when failures occur.
Why it matters: The low-level detection at Well 23 triggered renewed monitoring that could impose recurring testing costs on small towns. Meanwhile, deferred maintenance on pump stations poses long-term capital needs that will affect municipal budgets and planning.
What’s next: Towns and the county said they would discuss funding options during the budget cycle; one town representative suggested adding a $10,000 line to the town budget as an interim measure while testing and invoices begin. County staff said they would note the request and follow up at the next joint meeting.
