Willsboro conducting study for wastewater treatment

WILLSBORO | A study is now being conducted on how to tackle the town's current wastewater treatment issue. "There are technically no problems with our current system. It's operating the way it's supposed to be operating," Supervisor Shaun Gillilland clarified. "The reason why we're conducting this study is because we have an I/I problem." I/I (infiltration and inflow) refers to the unwanted entry of clean groundwater or stormwater into sanitary sewer pipes. When this happens, it can lead to increased volume and decreased treatment efficiency. "It dilutes the wastewater," Gillilland shared. "The bacteria, protozoa, and everything else that consumes all those nutrients is the key part of turning this wastewater back into water safe enough to put back into the environment." While this "clean" water doesn't necessarily need treatment, once it mixes with the wastewater, it must be treated, adding unnecessary costs and strain on the system, said Gillilland. "It creates such a tremendous amount of water coming through." Typically, I/I is caused by leaks in pipes, faulty connections, or stormwater runoff entering through manholes or cleanouts. In Willsboro's case, it's entering the system via basement sump pumps. "When we have big rainstorms, people's basements get flooded. The problem is that many of these people will then pump that water into the sewer system, which is against the law. Still, they do it anyway," said Gililland, who has witnessed this occurrence firsthand in the past by monitoring wastewater flow during a high-water event. "You could hear the people's sump pumps in their basements kick on, and then you can see all the clear water rolling through. It's obvious that's what is going on." This practice is illegal in most areas because it can cause serious problems, including overwhelming the wastewater treatment plant, sewage backups into homes, and discharges of untreated sewage into the environment. That's why the town is conducting this study, to develop solutions to help mitigate the issue, such as building a system that can absorb large amounts of water without overloading the existing plant. "Once that happens, we'll take a look and evaluate the options that they provided, and we will work with the county planning department to see which option to move forward with and try to compete for state wastewater grants to complete the project," Gillilland stated. "This is not a next year type project; this is a long-term project [because] the cost of doing this, we think, is going to be multi-million. "This is a costly solution for what could be a non-issue if people would stop putting basic water into the sewer system." For more information or updates, visit townofwillsboro.com.

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Willsboro conducting study for wastewater treatment

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