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Car wash at 26 Middlesex exceeds allotted sewer use; town, owner agree meter is fairest fix
Summary
After readings showed the 26 Middlesex car wash averaging roughly 16,000 gallons per day — well above its 4,950-gallon allocation — the owner and sewer staff proposed installing an on-site sewer meter to measure actual inflow, guide billing and resolve privilege-fee disputes.
The Tyngsborough Sewer Commission heard Thursday that the car wash at 26 Middlesex has been using far more sewer capacity than its allotted 4,950 gallons per day, with recent readings averaging about 16,000 gallons per day.
Staff introduced the item and noted the commission had given the owner a year to adopt procedures to reduce sewer inflow. "Last year's actual water readings were an average of just over 10,000 gallons a day," staff said; spring measurements now show about 16,000 gpd.
Jim Waterman, the owner and representative for 26 Middlesex, told the commission his business has grown since opening and that peak days can approach 1,200–1,300 cars. "Our business has increased," he said, listing quarterly vehicle totals that rose from about 144,000 cars in the first year to a pace toward 210,000 this year.
Waterman and staff explained the site’s reclaim system and pump-out schedule reduce the amount of water entering the sewer, and they estimated that each car produces roughly 6–10 gallons of 'drive-off' water that does not enter the sewer system. Waterman said the reclaim tank (about 7,500 gallons) is pumped periodically and that evaporation and other variables complicate straightforward billing comparisons.
Commission and staff discussion focused on the most practicable, fair metric for future billing. Staff said the owner had purchased privilege fees based on an initial estimate of about 4,950 gpd; actual use has since outpaced that figure. "The only fair way ... is a meter," one staff member said, noting meters would produce an ongoing, permanent reading to govern future billing.
The owner and staff agreed on a plan: identify a cost-effective meter and pit design, install the meter, collect a couple of months of calibrated readings (quarterly reading was discussed) and use those readings going forward. They discussed rental versus purchase, calibration schedules and who would read the meter. Staff offered to coordinate meter-company contacts and to track readings into the town billing system.
Commissioners asked staff to pursue meter options and to report back with cost and scheduling estimates; staff said a short plan could be in place within weeks to months depending on vendor availability. The commission also directed that the owner be notified via certified letter of the upcoming agenda item and that the matter be revisited with meter data if the owner proceeds.
The discussion did not change any existing charge for past usage; staff said any retrospective adjustments would depend on the commission’s later review of meter data and the town’s privilege-fee rules.
Next steps: staff will provide meter options and cost estimates, coordinate readings and return with findings at a future meeting so the commission can decide whether to adjust privilege fees or require additional ERUs for the parcel.
