Water board approves $146,600 sewer smoke testing
Water · Meeting of August 5, 2026
Somerset's water board approves $146,600 for sewer leak testing and a $36,500 fix for undersized pump equipment. The Water and Sewer Commission unanimously approved a Wright-Pierce task order to smoke-test about 170,000 linear feet of sewer pipe, funded by leftover special-article money, after staffer Christopher Wickman said the town has "some pretty significant challenges" with stormwater leaking into its sewer system. The board also approved a $36,500 change order with Bisco Building Systems to replace undersized variable-frequency drives at four sewer pump stations, down from an original $46,000 estimate after negotiations with the manufacturer and subcontractor, and signed off on a $2,244,861 state payment requisition tied to the same five-pump-station project.
One commissioner said of the rework, "we paid everybody to do this once, and now we're doing it again." Swansea officials, including Director of Engineering William Anderson, briefed the board that their Route 6 sewer line extension into Somerset's system won't carry flow until at least fall 2027. Also approved: a $19,970 evaluation of the treatment plant's aging screw pumps and the final Wright-Pierce optimization report for the wastewater plant.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,758 words
Source: the Water meeting of August 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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