Page 19 - Town of Brighton 2024 Annual Report

Water and Sewer Department Report

The past year has been a non-stop rollercoaster of ups and downs for both the water and sewer systems. The billing system
was the first hill that we had to climb as replacing a very old system with something modern and state of the art does not come
without its challenges. The first quarterly billing seemed to go smoothly and so it was assumed all was right with the world,
and then came the second quarterly billing, and chaos ensued. An error in the meter data transfer resulted in a multitude of
incorrect bills being sent out. It took staff nearly two months of work with the software vendor to identify what caused the
problem and how to get it corrected. The last quarterly billing appears to have corrected most of the errors, and we continue
tweaking the system. We do encourage people to sign up for E-billing if possible as it saves the department and ultimately you
as rate payers a considerable cost.
The wastewater treatment facility project finally cleared the regulatory hurdles so that it could go out to bid. This project had
an original price tag of $3.756 million dollars. Mike and Joel had secured $1.6 million in grant funds to help pay for this project.
As the project proceeded through final design, the final price kept climbing, Mike and Joel were able to secure an additional
$2.2 million in grant funds to fill the gap. The project finally went out to bid in the fall of 2024 and only one bid was received,
putting the price of the project at nearly $9 million dollars. After careful review by our engineering firm, state and federal
partners, our operators, the sewer commissioners and town staff, the single bid was rejected. The project was modified
slightly to attempt to find some cost savings and our engineering firm is seeking additional contractors to bid on the project.
Mike and Joel are continuing to seek additional grant funds for the project. The rebidding process is currently under way, and
we hope to start construction this summer.

Refurbishment of the town’s two drinking water plants is another major project on the horizon. This project is also facing a very
difficult battle as the state has warned of surface water withdrawal restrictions on the brooks the town has used for its drinking
water for over 100 years. These potential restrictions make us ineligible for many of the funding opportunities we would
otherwise access to keep the costs to ratepayers low. The alternative proposed is for the town to switch to a groundwater
source on land that it does not own. There are a multitude of challenges to this source change that are too numerous to
explain in this report. We anticipate holding a community meeting early this spring in order to gain your feedback on the
best route forward. The current cost estimate for this project is nearly $8 million and it is not optional as our current water
treatment plants are approaching 40 years old with only the mandatory maintenance taking place.
Speaking of old water system infrastructure, the south reservoir developed a leak this year, of approximately 25,000 gallons
per day! Our operators and engineers have tested and patched every possible crack they could find to no avail. The reservoir
is masonry and was constructed in the early 1900s so the only feasible repair option is to install a liner inside the reservoir.
This was included in the water treatment upgrade project but unfortunately, with a leak in this volume, it can’t wait. The cost
to install this liner is estimated at $190,000 which exceeds what we have in the reservoir maintenance account. Luckily, Mike
was able to secure a grant that will cover 100 percent of the liner cost up to $190,000.

There are more challenges ahead as the water main that connects the two reservoirs and runs straight through the downtown
under Cross St. is 100 years old and will need replaced soon. This project is being paired with traffic improvements, new
sidewalks and streetscapes in order to maximize the grant funding available to the project. The budget for this project will
certainly exceed the $12 million price tag that was projected two years ago, making grant funding imperative in order for this
project to take place.
As far as user rates, you will see a small increase in 2025. The water and sewer commissioners are budgeting five years into
the future so they can institute moderate rate increases each year so that when these project loan payments become due
starting in 2027, there won’t be huge increases to the user rates.

Lastly, we need to address delinquencies. The COVID pandemic halted most shutoffs and collection activities as people may
have had a difficult time making their payments due to work restrictions. Unfortunately, we have quite a few accounts that
simply stopped paying their bills and have made no attempt to make arrangements. This is unfair to the rate payers that do
pay their bills and jeopardizes the financial stability of the system. Therefore, shut-off notices are being sent, and shut-offs
will commence 30 days after notice is provided. Payment arrangements are available for those with a hardship. The water
department will be installing new meter technology throughout our system this year which will allow us to switch to a monthly
billing cycle and hopefully reduce the number of delinquent accounts.

We are hoping for a way less eventful 2025!

Sincerely,
Brighton Water & Sewer Board

2024 Annual Report 19