Assumes 40-year loan

By Wiley Wood

On Wednesday, May 16, members of the Norfolk Sewer District voted unanimously to embark on a $4.2 million renovation of the sewer collection system in the center of town, assuming a collective debt that will cost them $100,000 per year for the next 40 years to pay off.

The system’s clay pipes were installed in the 1890s and have since cracked and shifted to allow a large inflow of groundwater during wet weather. The resulting volume of runoff sometimes overburdens the treatment plant, leading to sewage spills into the Blackberry River, and the district has been under order from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to fix the collection system since 2011.

About three quarters of the pipes in the system can be relined with a fiberglass liner, and only about a quarter will actually need to be replaced, a more expensive process, according to Steve MacDonald, an engineer who consults for the sewer district.

The expected hike in the sewer bill for each of the 376 hook-ups will be $250 annually, said Ron Zanobi, chairman of the Norfolk Sewer Commission. But he held out some hope that after the repairs are in place, which will take about two years, the cost of operating the system will come down, as fewer chemicals will be needed, less electricity to operate the pumps, and fewer repairs to an overworked plant.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide a grant for 40 percent of the cost, or $1.5 million, and a loan at 2.125 percent interest for the remainder, or $2.52 million.

“Free money is hard to come by these days,” said MacDonald. “When we started the process, the grant was more like 20 percent of the total cost. Your board did really well to get these numbers.”

Members in attendance asked a variety of questions, including how long the relined pipes would last (75 years); whether the new lining wouldn’t reduce the diameter of the pipes (yes, but only marginally, and the smoother surface of the fiberglass would make for better flow); and how long it would take the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve the loan and grant (it could happen fairly quickly).

“The town vote is the final piece of the puzzle,” said MacDonald. “Now it goes to Washington.”