Westville staff report progress on water plant plans, wells and wastewater lift station problems

Town utilities staff briefed the Westville Town Council on ongoing water and wastewater work, saying engineers are finalizing plans for a new water plant and new distribution lines and that staff are pursuing land purchases for additional wells.

The utilities speaker told the council the town is ‘‘working on the final plans for the engineering plans for the new water plant, new lines, and also ... procuring the land for the wells and the expansion of the filtration plant.’’ He said crews have been busy with locate requests and contractors, and that weather had constrained some activity.

On wastewater, staff reported continuing problems with the new lift station serving the correctional facility, saying it has been ‘‘plugging considerably’’ and crews have been pulling pillowcases, socks and wire from the wet well. The speaker said the town is troubleshooting those blockages and coordinating with contractors.

No ordinances, budget adjustments or contract awards were presented or voted on at the meeting for these projects. The update was a status briefing; staff did not provide cost estimates or firm timelines in the meeting record.

The council approved routine claims earlier in the meeting and received departmental reports, but no formal direction (for example, an authorization to buy land or a vote to change plant design) was recorded for the utilities items during this session. Staff said they would continue design work and procurement steps and bring formal requests to the council when required.