A Huge Decision For Towns

More than $1.7 million in annual savings for sewer users in New Britain, Berlin and Cromwell is being threatened by a fight over how much representation each town should have on the Mattabassett District Board of Directors if Middletown is included.

The Mattabassett Board two weeks ago unanimously approved the inclusion of Middletown as the fourth constituent community using the wastewater treatment facility, sharing the cost of operations and capital improvements with New Britain, Berlin and Cromwell. The approval would give Middletown membership on the Board, but now there’s a debate between some state legislators over how many members each of the four constituent communities should have on the board.

“We either do what’s right for the ratepayers, who are paying for their sewer usage, or we do what the politicians want and that’s about power,” said William P. Candelori, Ph.D., chairman of the Mattabassett Board. “What I want to make clear is what the board wants to do is what’s right for the ratepayers by saving them money.”

He explained that if Middletown is included as a constituent community, sewer ratepayers in New Britain would save $1.4 million annually, while those in Berlin would save $235,000 annually, and those in Cromwell would save $104,000 annually. Sewer users in Middletown, meanwhile, would benefit by being able to close the existing Middletown wastewater treatment facility further down the Connecticut River, and use that area for economic development.

But the local legislative bodies in each of the four communities must approve the plan to give Middletown representation on the board. If just one legislative body rejects the plan, then Middletown will not be allowed to join Mattabassett and the $1.7 million in annual savings will be lost. In addition, he said, the planned $100 million expansion of the wastewater treatment plant required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) nitrogen standards, would continue, but without the financial support that Middletown could add.

“The ratepayers of New Britain, Berlin and Cromwell would have to bear the cost alone, without Middletown,” said Candelori. “It would be a loss for all four communities.”

The Mattabassett District Board’s membership is set by the organization’s charter. With the proposed inclusion of Middletown, the state legislature has been asked to change the membership so that each community – New Britain, Berlin, Cromwell and Middletown – would have three members on the board. The debate between some of the state legislators who represent the four communities, however, concerns whether New Britain should have a larger number of board members than the other three communities.

“It’s a very frustrating debate,” said Candelori. “The Mattabassett Board wants to do what’s right for the ratepayers of all four communities, but some of the politicians are more concerned that they be able to appoint four, five or six members to the board. If they are successful the whole plan could be rejected and the losers will be the residents and businesses of New Britain, Berlin, Cromwell and Middletown who pay for sewer usage.”

The Mattabassett District’s Water Pollution Control Facility currently processes wastewater from New Britain, Berlin, Cromwell, as well as parts or all of the contiguous communities of Middletown, Newington, Rocky Hill and Farmington, discharging clean water into the nearby Connecticut River. In operation since 1968, the facility treats on average 15 to 20 million gallons of wastewater per day, with a peak flow in excess of 75 million gallons per day.