MARION — The lagoons at the town’s wastewater treatment plant are in the process of being relined with an impervious liner, a project which has put Marion $8 million in debt. But with the discovery of how much sludge is really at the bottom of lagoons, the cost may rise to $9.5 million.

“It’s not a great spot for us to be in, but we have to deal with it,” Town Administrator Jay McGrail said. 

The upgrades are a result of a consent order signed with the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection and the settlement of a lawsuit with the Buzzards Bay Coalition to line the lagoons, Selectmen said in a Nov. 2 letter to residents about the project price increase.

The lawsuit claims that runoff from the lagoon was seeping into the ground and into the nearby Aucoot Cove. The Town denies this claim.

The project involves draining the lagoon, removing the biosolid waste from the bottom, and relining with an impervious liner. Originally, the project’s engineer, separate from the town’s engineer, estimated that there was 350 tons of sludge.

But after draining the lagoon, it’s now estimated that there is 850 to 1,000 tons of sludge that has built up over the last 50 years. 

This increase in sludge will increase the cost of the project by an estimated $1.5 million.

Board Vice Chair John Waterman also mentioned that the sludge has to be driven to Nova Scotia, Canada to be removed. 

In the same letter, the Board asked residents to write to Governor Charlie Baker and Representative Bill Straus to “remind the state of the huge burden this estimated $9,500,000 project imposes on our only 1,700 rate payers.” 

According to Selectmen, the town has repeatedly tried to secure funding from the state to no avail. They are now asking residents to send a letter and their water bill to Baker and Straus.

Through this setback, McGrail said the company behind the project, Meuthen, has been great, and he thanked the DPW for their work on the project.