CLINTON - Where (and when) will the town build a wastewater facility? After close to a decade of debate and controversy on the topic, town officials and about 20 residents attended a Water Pollution Control Commission (WPCC) meeting on Feb. 15 to learn the latest on what lies ahead.

Mary Jane Engle of the Connecticut River Area Health District, Dennis Greci of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and Kristie Wagner of the engineering consultant firm CDM Smith were all present to help answer questions.

"Clinton, like many of the towns on the shoreline, has a water pollution problem. The problem is not confined to any one neighborhood or area; the problem is spread across the town. The problem is primarily due to our localized septic issues in the ground...Our town is blessed with not receiving those septic flows very well. We don't have a lot of options to procrastinate any further," said WPCC Chairman Michael MacDonald.

DEEP ordered the town to implement a solution in 1997. Based on 2010 census data, Clinton's population is 13,260, which means the town has an estimated 930,000 gallons per day of wastewater flow. Of that flow, approximately 600,000 gallons per day is running into areas that are unable to properly receive it.

The areas of concern are a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial locations throughout Clinton, from shoreline lots to Main Street addresses. Wherever a treatment facility is located, WPCC plans to minimize disruptions of service to public schools or residential properties. The committee is also working to avoid or minimize discharge into the Hammonasset River.

"I can't say absolutely that we won't come into conflict with any of these issues as a part of our solution, but those are our priorities," the chairman said. "We're looking for parcels of land to place these treatment plants and faculties that don't violate these priorities."

So what has WPCC been doing to address these problems? The commission passed an onsite wastewater management ordinance last year that essentially requires all residents to have their septic system pumped and inspected at least once every five years. Regulations also require that the pumper be registered with WPCC in order to keep online records.

It's also continuing work on the 2003 Wastewater Facilities Plan, an engineering analysis to confirm the boundaries of the areas of concern and volume of wastewater to be treated.

CDM Smith is conducting further investigation to find adequate sites for groundwater discharge of treated wastewater, recommend appropriate treatment technologies for each area of concern, and evaluate cost and funding options.

Parcels larger than five acres are ideal for a wastewater treatment facility. Clinton has 297 potential parcels identified through the town's geographic information system. The engineers then conducted "drive-by's" to verify the information provided was accurate.

After narrowing down potential sites, WPCC then began contacting property owners in the spring of 2010 and was able to perform about 20 site walks on parcels that looked promising.

"What we have right now are two decent-size parcels within town that have some potential for sub-service groundwater discharge and some potential to take treated wastewater and disperse it back into the ground rather than go into the river," Wagner said. "The areas of concern are still being finalized."

Wagner noted the two areas that have some potential appear to be able to handle only about 20 percent of the required total. Recently the firm revisited the 297 parcels and took a closer look at the top third of that list. It is now interested in walking 14 additional parcels and doing more testing in spring 2012 with a goal to define the properties to disperse the wastewater.

Ongoing activities for WPCC and CDM Smith include considering centralized, community, and on-site systems, with anticipation of a high level of treatment with community systems, which provides an advanced level of treatment, according to Wagner. The study phase of the project will continue through the summer, with more definite answers in August in hopes of a town-wide referendum vote.

"Activities lead up to a meeting in August when they'll be a lot more specifics including specific design technologies, specific sites at land, and some cost estimates," MacDonald said.