City officials hope to send a long-delayed $30.7 million sewer repair referendum to voters in November.
The money would be used to pay for seven projects labeled “critical” by engineers for the city’s Water Pollution Control Authority during a meeting with the Derby Board of Aldermen Monday.
The projects are:
- $7.46 million for upgrades to the Roosevelt Drive pump station
- $3.78 million for replacing the Roosevelt Drive pump station’s force main
- $830,000 for upgrades to the South Division Street pump station
- $1 million for upgrades to the Burtville Avenue pump station
- $5 million for upgrades to the solids dewatering system at the main treatment plant
- $8.9 million for upgrades to the main treatment plant
- $3.66 million to replace the sewer along Route 34
What will that cost you?
The WPCA presented a document showing the cost for the repairs could add $328 per year per unit for 20 years, with a 4 percent interest rate.
A 2 percent interest rate brings the rate to $274 a year per unit over 20 years.
However, those dollar amounts assume the entire $30 million cost is borne entirely on the annual WPCA bills. The numbers could change if the city spreads the $30 million among its entire tax base, not just sewer users.
In addition, the city wouldn’t borrow all the money at once, as the timing of projects would be spread out over several years.
The WPCA, the Aldermen and the city’s tax board all have to hold meetings to endorse the referendum and figure out how to finance it.
Getting voters to approve $30 million in repairs will be anything but easy, members of the WPCA and the Board of Aldermen said Monday.
But the WPCA, its workers, and its engineers insist Derby’s sewer system has been neglected for far too long and that each project is desperately needed.
John Saccu, chairman of the WPCA (a volunteer position), said the underground metal rooms that encase the pump stations on Roosevelt Drive, Burtville Avenue and South Division Street are so old they are starting to develop leaks and flood with water.
WPCA crews have to use sump pumps to prevent water from overtaking and damaging the pump stations. State environmental officials are already keeping a close eye on the Roosevelt Avenue pump station, which is responsible for dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the Housatonic River.
If voters reject spending the money, the WPCA could be in a situation where they are spending huge sums of money to make major repairs to the failing systems. Example — if one of the major pump stations finally dies, the WPCA will have to install giant temporary pumps and pipes to bypass the failed pumping station.
Then there’s always the possibility the state could mandate Derby spend money to make the repairs.
Finally, Derby officials said repeatedly these repairs still need to be done even if the sewer system eventually hooks to the Ansonia sewer system.
WPCA member Robert Miani was especially worried about the price tag. In an economy where unemployment is still high and people are still losing their homes, he doubted whether Derby voters would say yes.
He asked whether the city could get away with a smaller scope of work that would cost less than $30 million, and revisit the projects over time. He doubted whether voters would approve such a large expense, describing it as a “hurdle.”
Anthony DeSimone, an engineer with Weston and Sampson, who works with the WPCA, said each project was “critical.” He said making the repairs and upgrades with an all-encompassing referendum will allow the fixes to finally be made and spread out the costs over a long time period.
Otherwise Derby’s WPCA will be constantly returning to the tax board and Aldermen asking for money, or they’d be hitting up sewer users with emergency assessments for emergency repairs.
Saccu concurred.
“If it was 40 years ago, or 20 years ago, maybe we had other options. We are out of options,” Saccu said.
A formal public hearing will have to be scheduled before the referendum goes to the public.
Want to learn more about the repairs? Click here to watch video from a 2013 forum on the issues.
