Town of Fairhaven Board of Public Works The Board of Public Works has 24 hour emergency service available. The phone number con- necting all departments is 508-979-4030 which is staffed by the Board of Public Works Office during regular working hours which are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday and after hour calls are forwarded to an Answering Service. If you have an emergency, please give the following information: Your name, a tele- phone number where you may be reached, the address where the problem is and the nature of the call . Please note that if staff responds you may be charged for the persons time at a minimum of 3 hours. Newsletter Spring/Summer 2018 RECYCLE CENTER—Hours of operation are Monday thru Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 12:00 noon and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from April—December. Janu- ary—March Wednesday only 8:15—12:00 and last Sat- urday of the month weather permitting. Some items have associated costs. Recycle Permits are available at the BPW Office, Monday thru Friday. The cost is $20.00 for residents, $10.00 for seniors, $400.00 for Landscapers. No out of town Landscapers are permitted. Permits for trucks with GVW 10,000-19,999 lbs. - $100.00, 20,000-35,000 $400.00. Dump trucks & pickup trucks with dump body & trailers with dump body $400. No vehicles over 35,000 or 15 cy. Proper ID and vehicle registration is required. NPDES Permit After a lengthy negotiation process, the Town of Fairhaven en- tered into agreement with the United States EPA to comply with a new discharge per- mit which includes a not to exceed nitrogen limit. To reiterate from our last issue, ni- trogen removal from wastewater treatment facilities has only been the focus in re- cent years as this parameter was not a concern when most wastewater plants, including Fairhaven’s, were being built. Excessive nitrogen at the treatment facility, which mostly derives from urine, can deplete oxy- gen levels and encourage algae growth in marine waters which are both ecologically harmful. Currently, we are upgrading some of the infrastructure at the treatment plant because (a) it needs it and (b) so the plant will be ready for the addition of a nitrogen removal process , if that is the route taken. Beginning in July 2018, we will be conducting an affordability analysis to ascertain various possibilities available to com- ply with our new discharge permit including, but not limited to, which type of treatment would work and be the most affordable for our residents. Shortly thereafter, following review of what the results yielded revealed, design of the selected option will begin. If it is decided to upgrade the treatment process, our agreement with the EPA will see construction completed by the end of 2026. Our current sewer rate is $7.00 per 100 cubic feet, which means that every 750 gallons of sewer discharge costs $7.00. The upgrade to the treatment facility, if that is the option chosen, is estimated to cost more than $20 M. At this time, we have not, as of yet, conducted a rate study but we will do so as part of this process. Although we will take every effort to keep these costs as low as possible, residents should be aware of an unavoidable sig- nificant rate increase as this mandated project moves forward. We will continue to provide updates in future newsletters and elsewhere. RETIREMENT In 2017, Ed Fortin, the Town’s long serving Water Superinten- dent, retired after serving 44 years. During Mr. Fortin’s ten- ure, the Town consistently met all State Regulations and obli- gations. Dedicated employees like Mr. Fortin are difficult to find and he will be missed.