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Canaan Select Board hears water-department update; resident abatement request tabled
Summary
The board heard multiple Canaan Water Department updates: a long-running driveway sewer backup with remediation estimated at $9,000'1,000, a $780,000 lead-remediation grant with an access issue, 120 water-heads installed (86 reporting), and requests that engineers attend the March 3 meeting; the abatement request was tabled pending insurance review.
At its Feb. 17 meeting the Canaan Select Board spent significant time on Canaan Water Department issues, including a long-running sewer backup at a private driveway, lead-remediation planning, and meter-reading problems tied to cell service.
John Coffey of the Canaan Water Department described a sewer backup that has affected a driveway and resulted in gray-water intrusion into a basement since 2017. Coffey offered to install an overflow tank and alarms at the property; department staff estimated the remediation work would cost about $9,000 to $11,000 and could be completed in April or May. The town will ask its insurer, Primex, to review the situation and associated damages. The board tabled the resident's abatement request pending further review.
Board members also said the lead-remediation project is ready to go to engineering, which is expected to take about a month. Officials noted a $780,000 grant tied to that work currently has an access problem; the Town Administrator will contact the granting agency to attempt resolution.
On metering, officials reported roughly 120 water-head devices have been installed in homes and 86 are reporting successfully; some units are not transmitting, possibly because of poor cell service in basements. To complete installations and readings, the town will send certified letters and follow-up phone calls to residents to schedule visits.
The board discussed frozen pipes and other leaks that may be associated with shallow-installed pipes and asked that the engineers who performed prior work (formerly Horizon Engineering, now operating as Verdantes) attend the Select Board meeting on March 3 to present a remediation plan for intake-line and shallow-pipe issues.
