Yarmouth briefs voters on wastewater plan: treatment plant, National Grid easement, septage rehab and $1.5M engineering for golf-course discharge

Robert Rittenaur, town administrator, reviewed several warrant items tied to the town’s multi-year wastewater program and related capital needs.

Rittenaur said the wastewater treatment plant is expected to be online in early 2028; Article 6 funds preparatory work and the town has pre-funded many tasks from free cash and other sources. He warned that the amount of permitted groundwater discharge available in town determines how much treated wastewater can be returned to the aquifer, which affects the plant’s operating capacity.

Article 16 would grant an easement to National Grid to extend gas service to the new wastewater facility on Buck Island Road so on-site generators can keep the plant running. Article 17 proposes a multi-million-dollar rehabilitation of the town’s 25-year-old septage facility—Rittenaur described concrete-lined tanks suffering caustic wear and said rehabilitation would extend the plant’s life by roughly 20 years and allow separation of septage from the new wastewater plant.

Article 18 would transfer about $400,000 from earlier design appropriations into the wastewater collection construction account to cover remaining construction costs; Rittenaur said construction is on time and on budget. Article 19 requests roughly $1.5 million for engineering to expand the use of treated effluent for irrigation at Bayberry Hills Golf Course, a strategy the town uses to secure permitted groundwater discharge capacity during early phases of the wastewater program.

Rittenaur highlighted the environmental and permitting importance of securing additional groundwater-discharge capacity and urged voters to consult the project pages and supporting reports posted on the town website.