On October 20, Dartmouth residents approved up to $5.5 million in borrowing to replace aging equipment at the town's wastewater plant, along with a $4 million capital plan that includes a new water main on Route 6. The vote came two weeks after town officials sat down with residents in a joint public meeting and explained, project by project, what the money was for and how they planned to pay for it.
That meeting, held October 5 by the Select Board and the Board of Public Works, covered everything the water and sewer departments had going on. The town then posted a written recap for anyone who could not attend.
The recap laid out the wastewater project step by step. The equipment that treats Dartmouth's sewage is about 34 years old. The design to replace it is finished, and the cost is roughly $6 million. The town already has $250,000 from the state, is applying for a low-interest state loan that could bring the rate down to about 2 percent, and asked Town Meeting for permission to borrow the $5.5 million only if that loan does not come through.
Officials also answered a question residents had been asking. With new housing in the pipeline, people wanted to know whether the sewer plant could keep up. The town gave the numbers: the plant is permitted for 4.2 million gallons a day, this year's flow has stayed between 2.66 and 3.21 million, and the town has already started the long-range wastewater plan the state would eventually require.
The same recap addressed a state-required water notice that went out in September. The town explained exactly why: three positive bacteria samples out of 219 tested this year, nine clean follow-up tests, and a reporting deadline that staff had missed. The water was safe. The paperwork was late. Every water department employee has since been retrained on sampling.
Dartmouth holds the only AAA bond rating in Bristol County and runs an online budget portal where residents can see spending in real time. The town explained the problem, showed the cost, and then asked for the money.