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Select Board hears engineering briefing as debate grows over sewer capacity and I&I fixes
Summary
Public works and consulting engineers told the Wolfeboro Select Board the town is dealing with two different sewer metrics—plant processing capacity (~52%) and effluent disposal constraints (~92%)—and urged fixing infiltration and inflow (I&I) before expanding disposal capacity. The board discussed funding options and next steps, including targeted repairs, outfall testing and staged designs.
Steve Randall, the town’s director of public works, told the Select Board that the town is working with three engineering firms that together handle plant operations, rate and capacity studies, and road and infrastructure design. "We are at 92%," Randall said of the town’s effluent disposal constraints while also distinguishing that the plant’s internal processing capability runs closer to about 50%.
Randall and Stantec representatives explained the distinction in more detail: one number measures the plant’s ability to process sewage; the other measures the town’s ability to dispose of effluent (what can be sent out and land‑applied or otherwise removed). Randall argued the higher disposal number largely reflects infiltration and inflow, or I&I, meaning groundwater and stormwater entering the sewer system and using up disposal capacity.
Board members and consultants debated options. Randall recommended prioritizing repairs that reduce I&I—"fix what we own before we continue to build new," he said—because buying down I&I can create near‑term disposal capacity without a multi‑million‑dollar expansion. Stantec and Underwood engineers described phased approaches: camera and targeted repairs, grant applications to New Hampshire DES and federal SRF programs, and design/bid sequences that split water, sewer and stormwater work into fundable pieces.
The board discussed funding tradeoffs. Members noted state and federal grant programs are competitive and that the town’s ranking for transportation or infrastructure funding can shift year to year, affecting the ability to secure outside money for a full corridor rebuild that would include sewer. Randall acknowledged some I&I diagnostic funding exists (camera work and evaluations) but said shovel‑ready construction funds remain limited.
The meeting produced a set of next steps rather than an immediate vote: the public works department will accelerate outfall and groundwater sampling at downtown outfalls identified in recent tests, complete a draft capacity study for the board, and work with the engineers to produce costed options that prioritize I&I remediation but show alternatives for expansion if needed. Randall said some spot repairs have already been made and that additional sampling will guide whether further repairs or a larger expansion are required.
The board emphasized communication: multiple members asked that the town publish clear project status updates and maps so residents can follow where the town has identified problem areas and what repairs are planned. Randall said he will post maps and an updated schedule to the town website and circulate project information to the Select Board.
