Going with the flow

Region - Despite a 1986 contract in which the town of Hopkinton agreed to limit its use of Westborough's sewage treatment plant, in the past few years, growth in Hopkinton has resulted in the town frequently exceeding the permitted amount. In April, for example, Hopkinton's average daily amount exceeded its limit by about 25 percent. Recently, the Westborough selectmen took steps to reduce Hopkinton's use because the EPA regulates the total amount the plant can discharge and any capacity that Hopkinton uses reduces the amount available for Westborough and Shrewsbury, the other towns that use the facility. Although the plant is not currently at capacity, both Shrewsbury and Westborough are experiencing growth, too, that they expect to increase their use of the plant.