Selectmen are still waiting to see what restrictions the Environmental Protection Agency will place on the wastewater treatment plant as the agency recently missed a self-imposed deadline.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson said the agency planned to issue a new National Pollutant Discharge System permit at the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30.

“We have not heard anything yet,” Dawson said. "We are waiting."

Depending on the agency’s decision regarding the town’s permit, plant upgrades could cost taxpayers millions and millions of dollars.

Selectmen are hopeful that alternative, less expensive options will be allowed.

Issued in December, the draft permit is required for facilities that discharge water into the environment. They identify and limit the amount of pollutants released, such as toxins, nitrogen, copper, aluminum and other materials.

After being issued late last year, Selectmen discovered the new permit was so different from the previous one that it’s impossible to follow new regulations without significant upgrades.

One major change prohibits the use of three sewage lagoons. Installed in the 1970s, the lagoons take up a 20-acre footprint on the site.

To meet draft permit requirements, the lagoons must be lined to prevent wastewater from leeching into the soil, according to the EPA.

Another change would dramatically reduce the amount of heavy metals and nitrogen allowed in discharged water. That would require a new filtration system.

Earlier this year, engineers from the town-hired firm CDM and Smith reviewed the draft permit, and they returned it with suggestions allowing for compliance while using less costly upgrade methods.

Calls to the EPA seeking comment have not yet been returned.