Thanks to work in 2010, sewer and water systems are now up-to-date

SHARON — Some very important changes have been made to Sharon’s infrastructure in the past two years, thanks to the town’s Sewer and Water Commission.

The autumn of 2009 saw the completion of a major project started in 2008: the makeover of the entire sewer system.

“We rehabbed the entire system in town, relining sewer lines as well as creating new lines,� said Stephen Szalewicz, who is chairman of the commission.

The project was based on an engineering study that was done about five years ago. It was funded by a grant and loan combination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that totaled approximately $1.6 million. The loan will be paid off over the course of 20 years, using money collected from the fees that town sewer and water users pay.

In November 2010, the commission refinanced the USDA loan with Salisbury Bank to get better terms.

“With the USDA loan, anything we did to pay it down didn’t have an effect on our yearly premium. With Salisbury Bank, every time we pay, the premium goes down,� Szalewicz said.

With this project completed, the Sewer and Water Commission embarked on another one in 2010. One of Sharon’s two reservoirs, the Calkinstown Reservoir, was desperately in need of work.

The reservoir, which is adjacent to the town’s water treatment plant, had an intake structure on a 100-year-old foundation and the dam spillway had deteriorated.

In addition to these repairs, the reservoir also needed to be dredged to remove algae.

“When you have a lot of algae, you have to treat the reservoir with copper sulfate. Then, when you treat the water, you have to take out all the stuff you put in the water,� Szalewicz said. “It will now take a lot less to process the water.�

Szalewicz also said that the quality of the water will improve.

The Calkinstown Reservoir project was finished in fall of 2010 at a cost of $307,000. Help with paying for the project came from a state Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant.

Szalewicz said that the recent work by the Sewer and Water Commission has brought the town up to modern standards.

“We’re pretty much up to date, and so far we’re able to carry the debt,� he said.

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