Mayor says $216,000 pipe‑analysis needed; council hears $1M bond request for sewer lining

Councilors used the May 27 meeting to press for clarity on water and sewer infrastructure needs after recent WPCA discussions about rate adjustments.

Councilor Thompson summarized a lively WPCA meeting that featured multiple competing proposals for how to set rates and how to prioritize repairs. “They are… deadlocked on this situation,” Thompson said, describing a range of possible rate increments and a planned special meeting to resolve differences.

Mayor Allen expanded on a higher‑cost item the WPCA identified: a federally required analysis to confirm whether any portions of the public distribution system contain lead. The mayor said the work under discussion could cost about $216,000 and might require excavation to expose pipe sections or a ground penetrating radar alternative. He stressed that testing finished tap water can be misleading because lead in results often originates in household plumbing solder rather than the municipal main. “You don’t know when you get the water where it is,” the mayor said, explaining the limitation of sampling at taps.

Allen also described a separate initiative to rehabilitate aging sewer mains using an in‑place polyethylene lining that he said could add 50 to 60 years of useful life in targeted reaches and reduce groundwater infiltration that forces the treatment plant to process excess storm water. He reported that state legislators submitted a $1,000,000 bond request for that lining work, which would target problem areas such as the Highlands.

Councilors asked whether testing alternatives like camera inspection or sampling could remove the need for the larger excavation study; the mayor said camera systems had been tried and failed and reiterated the need for an approved technical study to satisfy federal requirements.

No rate was adopted at the council meeting; councilors noted the WPCA will bring a recommendation to the town council following its special meetings to reconcile competing proposals and to align proposed rate changes with the municipal budget timetable.