By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – Councilors approved an amendment to the city's sewer ordinance at the Sept. 9 meeting that will potentially save the city $12 to $26 million. The request made by Public Works Commissioner Ronald LaFreniere places limits on the amount of treated wastewater that is deposited into the Assabet River from the Easterly and Westerly treatment plants.
The measure was presented to the full council by Ward 1 City Councilor Joseph Delano, chair of the Operations and Overview Committee. During committee deliberations on the proposal, LaFreniere explained that changing the language was necessary to qualify for a zero-percent financing rate on a portion of the State Revolving Fund loans used to pay for upgrades at the two facilities.
He also stated that there were five points that were required to be amended which would allow the city to take advantage of zero-percent instead of two-percent financing. He added that Marlborough has already completed four of the five points within the legislation. The incomplete requirement involved land-use controls and the state is using the legislation to get communities to commit to the flow allocations that the state planned for in their long-term planning documents.
LaFreniere confirmed that limits at the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant are adequate enough to provide for future needs but attention to levels at the Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant will be ongoing as the city presently allows for sewage deposits from Northborough.