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DPW warns sewer system will hit 80% capacity as multiple projects proceed
Summary
DPW Director Tim Barber told the Planning Board a recent flow-and-loading study shows the wastewater plant’s permitted discharge (4.2 million gpd) would be pushed beyond 80% average by a group of upcoming developments, raising the prospect of state-ordered or town-imposed moratoria and substantial capital upgrades.
Tim Barber, director of the Department of Public Works, told the Diamond Planning Board that a recent flow-and-loading study by Stantec shows the town’s wastewater treatment plant is approaching regulatory thresholds that could trigger mandatory action.
Barber said the plant’s permitted discharge is 4,200,000 gallons per day and that a rolling annual average near 3,360,000 gpd would reach the EPA/DEP 80% threshold the agency uses to evaluate capacity and enforcement. He told the board that staff have recorded annual periods above 80% and occasional daily peaks above 100% during heavy rainfall events.
“When we hit consistent 80% flow the Department of Environmental Protection can step in and require a moratorium and require us to proceed with upgrades at the facility to create more capacity,” Barber said. He said flows from several developments — including the Village at Lincoln Park, the Preserve at Dartmouth Woods (under construction) and multiple 40B proposals — are being counted together and would put average flows above 80% when fully built and occupied.
Barber described site-level constraints in the collection system as well as treatment limits. A number of pump stations, including the North Pump Station (near the Pascamaskett River) and smaller stations on Westport Road, will need pump or capacity upgrades; he estimated some pump-station upgrades at roughly $300,000. A previous pump-station construction bid was estimated at $2.1 million but returned at about $3.4 million; the town proceeded with the Ellsworth pump-station portion and is seeking a second MassWorks grant to fund Route 6 station work.
Board members asked which project would be the tipping point. Barber said it is the combined effect of roughly eight proposed projects, and the order in which they connect matters. He also said the town can include mitigation fees on projects that connect to fund needed upgrades.
Barber recommended the town complete a comprehensive wastewater management plan (CWMP) — an 18‑month consultant effort — to evaluate system-wide upgrades and guide permit and capital decisions. He said the town is pursuing low‑interest state revolving fund financing and will seek MassWorks and other grants to minimize local costs.
What happens next: the planner and DPW will continue coordinating project reviews and will bring CWMP progress and grant application updates back to the board as available.
