Charlton Sewer Commission Blocks Developer's 68-Home Subdivision Connection Over Plant Capacity

CHARLTON -- July 9, 2025, Charlton Water/Sewer Commission turns away developer's sewer connection bid, citing plant operating above biological capacity. The commission voted unanimously on all formal business at its July 9 meeting but declined to advance a proposal from developer Cleland Blair of Blair Builders, who has sought permission since 2008 to connect a proposed 68-lot Curtis Hill Road subdivision to the town sewer system. Veolia project manager Vinny Masterson told the board the plant's ten rotating biological contactors are already treating roughly 1,200 pounds of BOD per day against a design capacity of 1,000 pounds, and that a 2023 Wright-Pierce engineering study pegged the cost of expanding treatment capacity at $8 million to $10 million using a moving bed bioreactor system. "I don't think the plant has the capacity to support this development," Masterson said. Chair Paul Gagner said he had not spoken with a single person, including former board members, who supported the connection. The commission approved $10,500 for RSI Construction to excavate and replace four worn sludge-holding tank valves, authorized Beta Engineering to use the town's hydraulic model for a separate potential water tie-in study on behalf of Rockaway Realty Trust, and passed an Emergency Management Delegation Memorandum capping the plant manager's emergency spending authority at $10,000 per incident with 12-hour email notification to commissioners.