The quest for a downtown wastewater solution continues. At a meeting on May 14, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) authorized soil testing on both the Town Green and the Riggio Building property.

The board unanimously approved using Jacobson Engineering to test the Green to see if the soils there and behind the Riggio Building are suitable for use as a leeching field for a proposed downtown wastewater collection system.

Board members unanimously agreed to appropriate $89,100 from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project. Residents would need to approve that move at a town meeting on Monday, June 17, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Westbrook Town Planner Peter explained that testing is required to ensure a proposed wastewater system meets state water quality standards.

“The contract with Jacobson that was reviewed by the BOS is for further evaluation of areas behind the Riggio Building and on the Town Green that had not been previously tested for septic suitability," Gillespie said. "Back in 2020, certain areas were tested and monitored. The most recent conceptual layout includes areas that have not yet been tested.”

Gillespie said the plan calls for soil borings, groundwater monitoring, and laboratory soil testing.

“Additionally, the proposal includes an engineering analysis based upon the soil tests and groundwater measurements to take a look at the proposed wastewater loads that we are projecting and then a conceptual layout of the proposed subsurface system,” Gillespie added.

Gillespie and Economic Development Commission Chairman Jim Crawford were at the meeting on May 14 to address the BOS about the testing. Crawford said that the soil testing “will fill in the gaps before we go before the public and business leaders to present the plan.”

Gillespie said that more information will be sent out to property owners soon.

“We will be sending out a letter to property owners later this week with a project update, and I have been discussing the project with property owners, and we will continue to do so as we move forward,” Gillespie said.

The Plan

Last year, the town announced that progress had finally been made in addressing one of Westbrook’s most pressing long-term concerns: finding a wastewater solution for the downtown.

In December 2023, the town presented a conceptual plan for a gravity sewer collection system to service 50 properties in the proposed downtown service area. The sewer lines would be hooked up to each property, and existing septic tanks would be pumped out and closed.

Currently, the area handles about 17,700 gallons of wastewater per day. Under the proposed model, that number would jump to about 41,300 gallons per day.

Leaching areas would be established under the Riggio building, Ted Lane Field, and the Town Green. A treatment facility at 1316 Boston Post Road would be built, though Gillespie has clarified that it would be a small, mostly underground treatment center similar to what’s used at the outlets.

Testing the soils at the Green is a first step in possibly making that plan a reality. Before the town moves forward with the proposed plan, town leaders have said residents and downtown property owners need more information about specific aspects of the plan, such as the proposed cost of the project.

A final decision on whether or not to move forward with the plan will ultimately be made at a town meeting. Last year, First Selectmen John Hall said he would like the town meeting sooner rather than later.

The History

Working to revitalize Westbrook’s town center has been a decades-long goal. The Town Center Revitalization Committee was first formed in 1997, and a 1998 report listed sewage disposal as a main concern for the area. Over the years, residents have reported that prospective businesses have decided to open elsewhere due to the constraints the lack of an adequate system places on the area.

A 2021 survey showed that 72% of respondents felt the town wasn’t doing enough in the downtown and felt it should do more. At a Dec. 4, 2023 meeting, speakers mentioned dreams of one day walking around downtown and popping into a restaurant like one can in nearby towns like Madison, Guilford, or Old Saybrook. Others spoke about perhaps increasing the available housing in the town by building more units in the downtown area.

Town officials explained that those ideals depend on health department approval, which they said is related to solving the wastewater problem.

Crawford has compared Westbrook’s issue with the one that the town of Chester faced 20 years ago. Chester, which has a smaller population and household income than Westbrook, was able to turn its town center into a popular destination thanks in part to solving its wastewater issues.

“One of the major reasons Chester turned from what it was 25 years ago into what it is today is they solved the wastewater problem. Then they had the energy, enthusiasm, and the bucks to turn it into a very vibrant town,” Crawford said at the December meeting.

The Numbers

The biggest question regarding the plan is figuring out how to pay for it.

The cost estimate the town received last year to construct the proposed plan was $12,577,904. Furthermore, each property would pay an annual maintenance fee to use the service.

According to the presentation last year, the annual maintenance cost to be paid by the property owners -assuming no assistance from the town – would be $2,600 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU). An EDU is the approximate volume of water used by a single family. Since the area the proposed plan would service is mostly commercial, each property will likely have more than one EDU.

As EDUs are added to the area, that price tag would come down, and increasing the development and density of the area could also decrease that number.

Gillespie has repeatedly said that the town is investigating ways to pay for the project and that there are a number of state and federal grants available that the town can apply for.

“We have not submitted any specific grant requests yet but are presently looking into several grant requirements and time frames,” Gillespie told said.