East Ham unveils 16‑mile wastewater collection plan covering about 800 parcels; commission asks for leak monitoring and pump details

East Ham presented a large‑scale plan to install a municipal wastewater collection system covering roughly 16 miles of sewer main and service laterals to about 800 parcels as part of a Phase 1 project, and conservation commissioners pressed town engineers on system monitoring, backup power and the long‑term risks to nearby wetlands.

Jackie, the licensed engineer representing the town, told the commission the filing covers the collection system only — 16 miles of combined low‑pressure and gravity mains, four pump stations and laterals to each parcel in the service area. "The collection system itself ... consists of approximately 16 miles of low pressure gravity and force main piping within town rights‑of‑way," Jackie said. She added the treatment plant at the DPW is not part of this NOI because it lies outside the locally regulated wetland buffer.

Why it matters: the project would change how wastewater is conveyed in areas now relying on septic systems. Commissioners said the collection system’s performance under long outages, detection of leaks, and the potential impact to wetlands are central to whether the project’s Order of Conditions should include stringent monitoring and operational requirements.

Key technical points and commission questions - Monitoring and alarms: Jackie said pump stations will be connected to SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) with alarms and 24/7 monitoring. "The pump stations themselves are hooked into sensors and they have ... SCADA, so ... that's being monitored 24/7," she said. Commissioners requested to see pump‑station plans, sensor logic and the alarm response protocols for the town's operations contractor. - Grinder pumps and outage storage: Jackie described typical grinder pump storage and resiliency: "Those grinder pumps typically hold 72 hours of storage in case there's a power outage." Commissioners noted that recent multi‑day regional outages mean 72 hours may not be sufficient; they asked whether regulations or contract language could require on‑site backup generators or other redundancy. - Pump station redundancy and emergency response: Jackie said stations are designed with two pumps (one standby) and the town will have an operator and emergency contractor on call. She said portable generators would be used where permanent generators were not installed and that stations are tied into fiber/radio SCADA back to the treatment plant. - Frost and cover depth: commissioners asked how deeper or prolonged freezes would affect buried low‑pressure mains. Jackie said typical design uses five feet of cover for low‑pressure mains to remain beneath frost, and that specified PVC materials are selected for the anticipated conditions. Commissioners asked staff to provide research on maximum historical frost depths and how climate trends were considered in cover and material selection.

Requested follow‑up before next meeting - Pump station construction drawings, stamped design details and the proposed monitoring/alarm plan. Commissioners said they must have those materials in hand with adequate review time. - Clarification of grinder pump rules, including whether permanent or portable generator backup will be required in the town’s regulations or in the operations contract. - Additional analysis of how a prolonged outage or multiple‑day regional event could affect both grinder pump storage and wet well overflow risk, and how a response would be triggered and resourced.

Next steps: the commission continued the matter to the April 14 meeting to allow staff time to review pump‑station details and for the town to supply the requested technical material. Jackie told the commission the town plans to provide those documents and continue work with staff on site‑specific details.

No formal permit was issued at the meeting; the commission said it is prepared to consider an Order of Conditions when the engineering details, monitoring plans and emergency procedures are provided.