Water, Sewer Commissioners concerned about 290-foot pier
The Water and Sewer Commissioners are adding their voice to the already long list of dissenters for a proposed 290-foot pier at the home of Daniel and Laurie DaRosa on 3 Goodspeed Island Road.
On Tuesday night, resident Mike Huguenin spoke with the board about his concerns regarding a sewer line that runs near the site. In the event of a severe storm, Huguenin said the sewer main could be threatened by debris from the pier.
“We have a sewer pipe that is not very well buried,” he said. “One of the arguments we’re making is it doesn’t make sense to permit such a large pier in such an active part of the harbor with a vulnerable sewer pipe.”
The likelihood of an incident may be small, but were there to be damage it could have a severe environmental impact, he said. It would also cut off access to a large section of town as around 350,000 gallons of waste pass through it each day, according to Water and Sewer Superintendent Nick Nicholson.
“There’s no question the probability of this is low but if it happens, this is bad,” said Huguenin, who has proposed the DaRosas build a shorter pier.
Commissioner Bill Hubbard said he had long been in favor of more protection for the pipe.
“One of these days, that pipe is going to give us problems,” he said. “I’m definitely not in favor of any pier there – small, big or anything.”
Commissioner Al Menino said, “As a rule of practice, we’re concerned with any pipes – anything that could further damage our sewer pipes and cause further problems.”
Huguenin asked the commissioners to write a letter to relevant town boards explaining the state of the pipe and any other facts and figures related to it.
Hubbard and Menino approved the letter. A copy will also be sent to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Commissioner Daniel Chase was not present.