An Update On Old Lyme's Efforts to Deal With Wastewater

Old Lyme continues to grapple with the problem of sewage and how to deal with wastewater in a way that will allow the town to maintain its sewage avoidance policy and limit pollution in Long Island Sound. 

The main area of concern is along the densely populated shoreline, where building lots are too small to accommodate on-site septic systems that comply with Department of Public Health (DPH) requirements. 

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has mandated that shoreline communities address ground water pollution resulting from inadequate waste water treatment. Several of Old Lyme's beach associations are in the process of installing sewers to connect to New London's wastewater treatment plant, as ordered by DEEP.  

The town's Water Pollution Control Authority is working with DEEP to determine the most cost-effective and environmentally beneficial solution, but with a view to developing a community based wastewater treatment system as opposed to installing sewers. 

With voter approval, the town hired engineering firm Woodard & Curran to study all the options and conduct soil tests to determine the feasibility of creating a community based wastewater treatment system in Old Lyme. 

The firm is tasked with the following: 

• Provide a detailed build and life cycle cost comparisons between regional (New London) and other community waste water treatment options.
• Determine wastewater needs in project areas (basically the shoreline up to and including White Sand Beach).
• Determine the feasibility, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, of a community-based solution.
• Evaluate community wastewater collection, treatment, and dispersal alternatives.
• Secure grant funding.
• Develop a Recommended Plan and Implementation Schedule

• It will give the town more control over costs and future development decisions.
• Community treatment would be unobtrusive and closed, rendering it virtually odorless.
• The town would not be connected to a regional waste water treatment facility, which may not have the capacity to handle our waste, nor would the town be responsible for any costs associated with expansion of a regional facility.  
• Conveyance of waste water to New London would require transfer fees to use neighboring towns’ existing infrastructure (i.e. pipes).Lombardo Associates, Inc. (LAI) performed a preliminary evaluation in 2012 that indicated the cost to build and maintain a community sewage treatment system would be less than the costs associated with traditional gravity sewer conveyance to the New London treatment facility.
• A community treatment system keeps groundwater in town, where it can recharge town aquifers.   
• Old Lyme can become a model for other small communities that want to address their wastewater needs locally.
• Not only would the town reduce pollution of Long Island Sound, a community-based solution provides the best opportunity for reuse/recycle options.
•  The town can choose to build a sustainable facility. The cost associated with using renewable energy sources to power our treatment facility could be paid for in part through state and federal grant funds.
• Implementation of a community system can be phased in, as the needs of our neighborhoods are evaluated and understood.