WILLIAMSBURG — Residents are being urged to be mindful of what they flush down their toilets, as the problems of not doing so are adding up for the town — and may soon be passed on to ratepayers.
“It’s not a trash can,” Town Clerk Brenda Lessard said.
Lessard, who also serves as the secretary for the Water and Sewer Commission, said the town has seen high numbers for total suspended solids (TSS) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in its sewer system. As a result, Northampton, which treats Williamsburg’s wastewater, has been charging the town additional money.
“We’re getting surcharges from the city of Northampton for our wastewater,” she said.
Eric Cerreta, who chairs the Water and Sewer Commission, said that Northampton has significant fees and fines built into its contract with Williamsburg.
One of the items causing problems is flushable wipes, which Lessard said tend to clump together and cause solids such as grease and fat to hold together.
“We’ve been finding a lot of wipes that are clumping in different areas,” she said.
Cerreta said a mailer was sent to residents to refrain from flushing sanitary wipes down the toilet several months ago.
“But it hasn’t stopped,” he said.
Lessard also said that other things have been found in the sewer system that do not belong there.
“We’ve found corned beef and cabbage,” she said. “We’ve found spaghetti.”
She also said that flushable cat litter is a “nightmare” for wastewater treatment.
Lessard has been posting on social media about this issue, and she said it has given her the opportunity to educate people She also said that only human waste and commercial toilet paper should be going down a toilet.
“We’ve been trying to get this problem under control,” she said.
For his part, Cerreta said that people should dispose of food scraps and bacon grease in the trash, use their garbage disposal sparingly and be mindful of what they flush down the toilet.
Lessard said that the increased cost of treating wastewater will be passed onto ratepayers. Last fiscal year, the surcharge for BOD for the town was $52,521 and for TSS it was $48,609. An additional $22,453 was charged to the town in sampling fees last year for TSS and BOD.
“We’re trying to get this fixed if we can,” Lessard said.
Cerreta said that while the commission has dipped into reserve earnings to pay for overcharge fees before, it will be raising the sewer rate this fall.
“We’re raising the rates to cover what our expenses are,” Cerreta said, who noted that the BOD and TSS numbers are driving the incoming rate increase.
He also said that Northampton charges Williamsburg for exceeding flow limits, but that flow issues have recently been brought under control.
Cerreta said that the commission is reluctant to raise rates and that if the BOD and TSS numbers get better they’ll consider lowering them. However, he said that an increase is planned and the commission will determine the increase and vote on it Sept. 14.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.