Groton wastewater plant reports stable compliance, notes clarifier repairs and brewery meter problem

Harry, the town public works director, told the authority in its June 9 meeting that the wastewater treatment plant treated about 86 million gallons in May and transported roughly 240,000 gallons of sludge. He said the highest daily flow that month was about 5.5 million gallons per day and that the plant continued to perform in compliance with its operating permit.

Harry reported staffing is now at full complement for operators and mechanics, with recent hires completing required training and exams. He identified several maintenance and equipment issues: secondary clarifier 3A is offline and scheduled for repair; the primary clarifier is undergoing work; and a number of valves and pumps have failed or remain pending repair. Repairs to pump stations at Montford Cove and Burgess Park are also underway.

Board members asked about the new procedure for accepting septic-hauler discharges. Harry said the authority has collected between about $2,000 and $4,000 per month from haulers since the policy change, noting an increase in haulers using the facility due to local bridge construction. When asked about a prior reporting problem from an industrial user (referred to in the transcript as Doncaster), Harry said that company is now submitting monthly reports unprompted and being billed for industrial surcharge waste.

During old-business discussion, the board addressed a brewery whose data-collection software and flow meter are no longer functioning; the piping is not configured for easy metering. Harry and members noted the brewery originally paid for the meter and said the brewery should be notified and asked to repair or replace the metering equipment if it wants the benefit of volumetric charges rather than a flat or estimated billing approach.

The authority did not take a separate vote on repairs during the meeting; those items were presented as operational updates and recommended follow-ups to staff.