Old Lyme — Town officials are planning a project to connect the 270 properties in Sound View and a small area north of that neighborhood to sewers.

The project would include installing a pump station and pipes in Old Lyme that would then connect to East Lyme and Waterford's systems to convey sewage to New London's sewage treatment plant.

The estimated $7.23 million bonding project would require approval at a town meeting or referendum to move forward, officials said. Property owners in the project area would repay the town's bond.

Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman Richard Prendergast said during a presentation last week that the WPCA will need to work out details of the plan before bringing it to a town vote.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which had issued an order for the town to complete its wastewater management plan, is reviewing the plan and later will publish it for public comment.

Hawk's Nest, another beach area, was removed from the first phase of the plan and is undergoing additional review, Prendergast said.

The sewer project would cost an estimated $26,800 for each equivalent dwelling unit, or an average-sized home, according to the presentation Tuesday at the Shoreline Community Center in Sound View.

Prendergast said that sewers have been a long time coming and are needed mainly due to the density of the area.

The Sound View neighborhood has cesspools and septic systems, with a typical problem being insufficient area for the septic system's leach field, according to the presentation. A state requirement calls for a 20-foot setback from the leach field area, which can be tough to establish on a narrow, 40-foot lot, he said. Some lots also have shallow groundwater.

He said sewers would provide a "more reliable method for handling the individual septic" needs with reduced back-ups, reduction in groundwater pollution, and "an investment in the environment."

Prendergast said the original schedule included in the plan submitted to the DEEP called for a town meeting or referendum in the fall, followed by design in 2019, and then construction between 2020 and 2023. But he said due to variables outside of the town's control, the project could be delayed by a year.

First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder said town officials are sensitive to the fact that many residents of the area are not year-round, so town officials will try to schedule the town vote at a time when they could attend.

Prendergast said the plan is for the Connecticut Water main lines to be upgraded at the same time as the sewer project.

Some wondered if their properties would be required to connect to sewers.

"If you have a large enough lot and don't have anybody next to you, are you going to be mandated to put in sewers?" asked Sally Woitowitz, a resident of miscellaneous Town Area B, the neighborhood north of Sound View.

Prendergast said the plan currently calls for the properties within the project's scope to be connected to sewers.

Private beach associations

The project comes as three private beach associations — Miami Beach Association, Old Colony Beach Club Association and Old Lyme Shores Beach Association — are planning to install sewers.

During the question-and-answer session following the meeting, residents asked questions, with some saying they felt it made sense for the town to work together with the beach associations.

Prendergast said the private beach associations' project is "outside of the scope" of the town project, but the WPCA is "trying to partner with the private beach associations where it makes sense" to lower the cost and create efficiencies, such as cost-sharing for pipes, a pump station, operation and maintenance and capacity.

Prendergast said in an email that while it would be great to combine the engineering and construction at the same time with the beach associations, the town doesn't want to delay the associations, which have stated they are ready to start the engineering phase and have funding.

He said the town is working on the cost-sharing agreements and capacity use commitments with neighboring towns that will need to be in place prior to requesting a town meeting for the bonding.

Frank Noe, chairman for the Old Colony Beach Club Association's WPCA and a Sound View property owner, said by phone that the three private beach associations plan to work together with the town since it's in the best interest of everyone to share costs.

He said the three beach associations and the town are planning to have a meeting soon. He said he hopes the beach associations and the town can come to an agreement on a land lease for a potential pump station on Hartford Avenue.

Scott Boulanger, WPCA Chairman for Miami Beach, who also serves on that beach association's board of governors, said he supports working together with the town, and the associations and the town will discuss sewer plans at the upcoming meeting.

"I think we all need to understand where we are at, how we can work together and when we can work together," he said.

Douglas Whalen, chairman of the Old Colony Beach Club Association, said in a phone interview that beach association members support sewers, because they think it's important to clean up Long Island Sound. He said the community has houses built in the 1930s and 1940s on small lots with systems that don't comply with present health regulations. 

"The members at Old Colony Beach Club Association are very much for this program, and they know it's going to clean up the environment, and they know it's going to be better for the community," Whalen said.

History

The town has been following a "sewer avoidance program" since the 1980s, but DEEP has deemed that is no longer a viable option, Prendergast said during the presentation.

He said the town's plans for the area come as the neighboring private beach associations planned for sewers.

While Woodard & Curran, an engineering firm, had drafted a plan with a local option for treating wastewater from the beach communities, DEEP told the town it would require significant additional testing, with no guarantee that it would ever approve the plan, he said. He said the town tried to pull the plan from the state, but the state said the town couldn't do that and issued an order for the town to finish the plan, he said.

He said DEEP confirmed at a public meeting that a "community" wastewater pollution problem exists, while the town's former health department stated that a public health nuisance existed.

He said there likely will be another informational meeting in the fall.

k.drelich@theday.com