Jericho task force recommends $15,000 for Browns River water testing to inform wastewater plan

The Jericho Wastewater Task Force voted unanimously May 14 to recommend that the Selectboard amend the town’s engineering contract and use up to $15,000 from already‑allocated FY27 funds to conduct baseline water quality testing of the Browns River.

Kate McCarthy of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission told the Task Force that early testing would measure nitrate and phosphate levels and “could influence the size of a community wastewater system” under study. She said the tests would be completed in the 2026 season and noted the results are typically valid for about two years.

Achouak Arfaoui of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation described how monitoring fits into permitting: “If you don’t exceed 30,000 gpd, you don’t need to do the experimental (field) test,” and she added that shorter monitoring requirements can apply if the targeted system capacity is below other regulatory thresholds. Arfaoui also said earlier monitoring results have been usable for roughly two years, which is why the Task Force discussed completing tests now rather than waiting until the PER design phase.

Susan Bresee moved that the Task Force recommend the Selectboard execute a contract amendment with DuBois & King and that the Town use up to $15,000 of FY27 funds for water quality testing; Chris Shaheen seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. The Task Force recorded this as a formal recommendation to the Selectboard; it did not adopt a final preferred alternative at the meeting.

Next steps include issuing the amendment with DuBois & King if the Selectboard approves the recommendation and carrying out baseline sampling (planned June–October 2026) to establish conditions that will inform later permitting and sizing decisions.