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Town manager says Onancock's wells can handle initial Coastal Square phases; council seeks DBF report
Summary
Staff presented technical reviews and permitting history for Coastal Square's request to tie into Onancock water; Arcadis and DBF engineering reviews, and a DEQ groundwater-permit update, concluded the aquifer can support additional users, but council asked for full engineering reports and clarification on rate impacts and licensing.
Town Manager Matt Spuck presented the Coastal Square water-connection application and summarized years of permitting and technical work. He said the town notified DEQ in April 2023 about groundwater withdrawal being near permitted limits and that DEQ updated the groundwater withdrawal permit; Spuck told council that in January 2024 DEQ issued a groundwater permit allowing up to 120,000,000 gallons per year.
Arcadis and DBF engineering reviews were cited as independent technical analyses. Spuck said Arcadis' reviewer Britt McMillan concluded the aquifer could withstand the additional withdrawal and that DBF — the firm that originally designed the system — confirmed the town "has a well maintained and operated treatment system." He summarized DBF's finding that with a minimum of 385 gallons per minute running 24 hours per day the town has sufficient capacity for an additional 700 users and that the town would only need to run the wells about 11.2 hours per day to provide for 700 users.
Councilors asked for the DBF report and questioned whether additional phases would require separate approvals, incremental operating costs (licensing for chemicals such as fluoride and possible extra staff), and whether the town should charge out-of-town rates. Spuck estimated meter-attachment fees and projected revenue: 99 homes in phases 1 and 2 could generate about 3,200,000 gallons and produce roughly $346,000 in meter-attachment revenue; buildout to 465 homes could generate about $930,000 and potentially reduce current customer rates, Spuck said.
Council did not vote on the application; staff said it will be placed on a future agenda after the engineering reports and rate-impact clarifications are circulated to council.
