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Property owner disputes $15,000 sewer bill; Litchfield WPCA pauses collections pending Aquarion leak review
Summary
Prospect Mountain Properties told the WPCA its multi-building account jumped from roughly $5,700 to $15,000 after prolonged continuous water flow; the board approved pausing liens if the invoice face value is paid and asked Aquarion to determine whether excess water entered the sewer. The authority will develop a formal leak-adjustment and appeals policy.
Prospect Mountain Properties asked the Litchfield Water Pollution Control Authority on Feb. 12 to review a disputed sewer charge after its multi-building account climbed from about $5,700 to roughly $15,000 in the most recent billing year.
Owner P. Dowton and his wife, Patty, told the board their 495–503 Bantam Road parcel uses a single Aquarion water meter for multiple buildings and that staff observed prolonged continuous flow of approximately 4 gallons per minute after one feed was shut off. Plant Superintendent Terrence Donoghue said he contacted Aquarion to request recent water-billing data and that Aquarion and a CT RWWA representative named Paul would assist with leak detection and line tracing at no cost to the owner.
The owner requested billing relief for water that is proven not to have entered the sewer system; Aquarion’s preliminary annual figures were described to the board as about 1.2 million gallons, which the owner disputed as implausible. Commissioners cautioned that multiple billing cycles may be needed after repairs to establish a new baseline and emphasized the need for a documented appeals process before forgiving charges.
The board voted to accept an interim resolution: if the owner pays the current invoice face value now, the finance office will pause liens and collections while Aquarion completes its leak determination and the WPCA reviews any resulting adjustment. The motion passed with all voting aye following a second; the minutes record one abstention on a separate motion earlier in the meeting. The board directed staff to place development of a formal leak-adjustment, interest-forgiveness and grievance/appeals policy on the next agenda.
The WPCA made no final finding on whether the water entered the sewer and did not adopt adjustment criteria at the meeting. Aquarion’s report and the board’s future policy work will determine any billing changes.
