NEWPORT — At the annual Town Meeting on May 9, voters will be asked to approve two bonds for the town’s water and sewer systems for projects to address a couple of long-standing problems.

A $10 million bond authorization is part of an estimated $29 million project at the town’s wastewater treatment plant to meet Environmental Protection Agency discharge standards for phosphorous, nitrogen, ammonia and metals.

Another bond request for $573,000 would be part of a $3.5 million project to design and construct a new well and connect it to the existing public water system. The well, in North Newport, would give the town a third water source. The town has appropriated $900,000 for the project and the balance would come from state and federal sources.

Both bonds require a 60% majority for approval and repayment would be borne by the users of the systems only.

Roughly 10 years ago, Newport bonded, permitted, designed and engineered treatment plant improvements to meet EPA discharge standards in effect at the time. However, when the work was completed the new filters began failing and never adequately treated the wastewater. What followed was a lengthy lawsuit filed by the town and subsequent countersuits. When everything was finally settled in 2018, the town received $3.4 million but had to turn that over to the state, which partially funded the project.

Since then, the EPA has set stricter effluent standards for discharge into the Sugar River and the town is under a mandate to meet those standards.

“We started the process fresh and that process has progressed to the point where we have good preliminary engineering and design work done and estimates,” Newport Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg said.

It is anticipated the work would begin next year and be completed by 2026. The new system would be adaptable to future EPA mandates.

“We purposely and intentionally have chosen a design and a process that is time tested and is common throughout New England,” Rieseberg said. “It is readily adjustable and scalable so we’ve done it with the intention of making it possible to adjust to future permit requirements.”

A PowerPoint presentation on the town website shows the average cost for the sewer user will more than double from 2022 to when the upgrades come online in 2026. In the example from the town, an annual sewer bill of $617 in 2022 would increase to about $1,566 in 2026. The actual rates could vary and will be evaluated on a year-to-year basis.

While those increases are significant, they will likely be more if the bond is defeated because the new EPA standards will still need to be met.

Rieseberg said a defeated bond could lead to EPA fines, possible suspension of state-authorized septic permits and the likely loss of a portion of the funding stack including $6.1 million from USDA Rural Development.

Other sources for the project include American Rescue Plan Act ($1.35 million), congressionally directed spending ($1.93 million), and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ($4 million). The town already has in hand $4.5 million from the Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund. Should the bond vote fail and be back on the warrant next year, Rieseberg said inflation could add $1 million to the cost.

“By not funding it, it becomes more expensive,” Rieseberg said, adding that there could be new EPA criteria by the time the town gets around to getting permits, which also could drive up the price tag.

New well

The new water source, which the town has been searching for the past several years, is located off Corbin Road on town-owned land. The town currently relies on the 68-acre Gilman Pond in Unity and a well in Pollards Mill, south of town. The longevity of Pollards Mill is unknown and surface water can be vulnerable to pollution sources, Rieseberg said, noting that many communities are trying to move away from surface water.

“Both sources are connected to downtown by very old mains,” Rieseberg said. “So the town’s access to its current water supply is somewhat tenuous in the sense that it is fed by 100-year-old pipes.”

A major break can shut off the entire town so having a third source from a different part of town will eliminate that possibility.

“With that (new well) in place, the town can declare water security in terms of quantity and quality because no matter what happens to the water sources to the south of town, you will have water in the north and no matter what happens in the north, you will have water from the south,” Rieseberg said.

The bond would cover the cost of a pump house and a new main to connect to the nearest existing line about a quarter mile away on North Main Street.

Preliminary tests show excellent volume and quality, requiring little treatment, Rieseberg said. If the bond is passed, Rieseberg anticipates construction to begin later this year and the new well to be online in late 2024 or early 2025.

The deliberative session to discuss the warrant was held on Tuesday. Voting on the bonds, budget and other warrant articles will be by Australian ballot on Tuesday, May 9 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Newport Middle High School.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

CORRECTION: Newport held its deliberative session on Tuesday, April 4. A story in Friday's Valley News included an incorrect time reference for that meeting. 

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