By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Board of Finance has approved $4,531,000 to extend the town’s sanitary sewer system to numerous streets.

The work should alleviate, if slightly, flooding problems along Deadman Brook. Wastewater from homes connected to a sanitary sewer system no longer adds to the water table.

A $3.1 million appropriation approved by the board this week will finance sewer lines for 124 homes along Evergreen Avenue, Evergreen Parkway, Tamarac Road, Lone Pine Lane, Gorham Avenue, Compo Road North and Brookside Drive.

A second appropriation of $1,431,000 will add 37 homes on Whitney Street, Roseville Road, Fernwood Road, Plumtree Lane, Pamela Place and Ledgemoor Lane to the town’s sewer system.

While the town initially appropriates the money, it does recoup the funding from property owners once the work is done.

Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich told finance board members at their Wednesday meeting the $1.4 million bundle of streets won’t be easy.

“This project is going through some of the most variable soils, soil conditions, that we have in town,” he said. “Ledgemoor Lane, just from the name, there’s a lot of ledge. Whitney Street is one of the wettest soil types in the whole area.”

“We run the full gamut here,” Ratkiewich said.

Aiming for completion this year

Both projects should be complete by the end of the year, he said.

Ratkiewich said expenditures for the new sewer lines would be divided among property owners, who will be assessed for the cost by the town.

The preliminary benefit assessment for the 37-home project is approximately $36,000 per property, Ratkiewich said. 

The 124-home project is a little higher, around $39,000. It is designed to serve “124 properties in a neighborhood that badly needs it,” Ratkiewich said. 

“Deadman Brook runs through this neighborhood. Some of the property footprints are extremely small so it’s difficult to repair a septic when the septic goes down.”

Asked if there ever are problems getting people to pay their sewer assessments, Ratkiewich said once the final figure is calculated, a lien is placed on each property. 

“Most of the time we don’t have any trouble whatsoever,” he said.

Taking septic tanks out of service should help flood problems

Asked about flooding, Ratkiewich said the benefit would be from properties that currently use dry wells. Once they are connected to the sewer system, they won’t be adding to the water table.

“We’re taking 124 septics, and not putting water into the groundwater anymore,” he said of the larger project. “That’ll make some room for stormwater … That’ll make the situation a little bit better, especially in the Deadman Brook watershed.”

“That’s one of our goals, to reduce the water that goes into the stream, but putting it underground and containing it until the storm goes by,” he said.

Finance Chairwoman Sheri Gordon told those in attendance that while it’s customary to have a second meeting before voting on appropriations over $500,000, because the sewer projects would ultimately be funded by property owners, and there was a need to get them moving, members agreed to vote Wednesday night.

Votes on both projects were unanimous.