Officials approve transfer for sewer repairs

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NAUGATUCK — The Joint Boards of Finance and Mayor and Burgesses last week approved the transfer of $135,000 for emergency sewer line repairs.

The money is coming from the account for fees Veolia North America, the company that runs the borough’s wastewater treatment plant, put aside for chemical treatments and chemical testing, Public Works Director Jim Stewart said.

According to Stewart, the money is needed because the borough’s sewer system is old and prone to break.

The borough budgets about $115,000 each year for emergency sewer repairs as part of the contract with Veolia, Stewart said. He said the borough has been billed approximately $230,000 for sewer repairs this year.

“These were all emergency repairs. None of them were planned or optional,” Stewart said.

The repairs follow a trend of rising costs for sewer repairs. The borough spent $205,000 last year and $143,000 the previous year.

Stewart said, as long as the borough doesn’t have any serious problems, the transferred funds should be able to cover costs until the start of the next fiscal year in July.