Somerset Town Administrator Richard Brown and Swansea Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein are pleased to announce that the Towns of Somerset and Swansea have entered into an intermunicipal agreement for sewer services.
The intermunicipal agreement for sewer services will establish a format for Somerset to provide services to a neighboring community. As part of the agreement, the Town of Swansea will receive sewer services along the Route 6 corridor to establish increased economic development while the Town of Somerset will receive additional funding that the town can use to support upgrades to their previously existing sewer infrastructure.
In addition to the upgrades, the Town of Somerset will also receive funding from Swansea businesses using the sewer services to help ameliorate losses from the closure of the Brayton Point Power Plant.
“We are pleased to announce this new endeavor following the many requests from local businesses in Swansea to establish a sewer system as a means to increase business plans within the town,” Town Administrator Aronstein said. “I would like to thank Swansea’s Highway Superintendent Bill Anderson for his instrumental work on behalf of Swansea in drafting and planning this intermunicipal agreement alongside Somerset officials.”
To fund aspects of the intermunicipal agreement for sewer services, Swansea will pursue construction grants for the town’s respective sewer services while Somerset will use funds from the town’s $646,559 Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant.
Somerset’s EDA funds have been used to develop the intermunicipal agreement and make several system improvements within the town. While working with the EDA, Somerset also plans to perform wastewater treatment plant upgrades required under the new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
“The signing of this intermunicipal agreement will benefit both Somerset and Swansea residents with a long-overdue reimaging of town services,” Town Administrator Brown said. “Not only will it help provide revenues to offset costs to Somerset users, but it’s a solution that helps protect the environment. Additionally, our plans for sewer services directly align with President Biden’s infrastructure investment plan that focus on waste water treatment, and as such we will allocate funding needs where necessary.”
At this time, Swansea is set to begin the process of establishing sewer lines along the Route 6 corridor with the hiring of an engineering service to conduct layout work.
The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) has provided assistance on this endeavor with Don Sullivan serving as a liaison to the EDA for the Towns of Somerset and Swansea.
“In Somerset, under the assistance of SRPEDD, the EDA has provided investment on three projects worth more than $3 million to date with plans for additional potential funding. One of these projects is about to break ground in May,” Sullivan said.
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