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Wastewater lab testing and software needs drive budget increases; composting and transfer-station dust also debated
Summary
Council heard that shipping sludge to New Hampshire triggers quarterly DEP testing and a proposed lab budget increase to about $30,000; staff recommended WIMS software to improve compliance and data tracking and council debated composting expansion and dust-control fixes at the transfer station.
Wastewater staff told the council that the town’s upgrade and a new sludge contract requiring shipments to New Hampshire will increase lab-testing frequency and costs. Jeremy, the wastewater supervisor, said New Hampshire DEP rules require more frequent testing for imported sludge and that testing tied to the new aeration process will cost an estimated $22,800 for process testing, $3,300 for out-of-state DEP tests, and $3,900 for additional standard testing — bringing the proposed lab budget to about $30,000 for the year.
Staff also proposed replacing manual Excel tracking with a WIMS (Wastewater Information Management System) application to improve compliance, chemical-usage tracking and permit reporting. WIMS’s annual fee was quoted at about $5,200, but integration into existing systems would require a one‑time payment of roughly $16,784; staff proposed moving that integration cost from FY26 wages to a service-contract carry-forward if the council approves the program.
On solid waste, the Conservation Commission requested the town support an expansion of a community-run composting pilot run by the Ocean Park Environmental Committee. Councilors questioned whether the town’s transfer station has the permitting, staffing and enclosure capacity to manage a larger, town-run program and discussed alternatives: supporting the existing community program, subsidizing a subscription curbside service (Garbage-to-Gardens) for residents who want it, or providing limited town support for the committee’s totes.
Separately, multiple councilors raised persistent resident complaints about dust at the transfer station; staff discussed temporary measures (watering, calcium chloride) and a feasibility study to redesign transfer-station operations and storage to reduce dust and long-term maintenance issues.
No formal approvals were made; staff said they would return with a WIMS-cost plan tied to available FY26 balances, and options for composting support.
