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Wastewater Master Planning Committee

Committees: Wastewater Master Planning Committee

2006 Annual Report

The Wastewater Master Planning Committee has the important advisory task in developing a strategic plan for the long-term management of wastewater generated in Hingham.  The Committee is comprised of members from the Selectmen, Health, & Planning Boards, the Sewer and Conservation Commissions, the Water Supply Committee, as well as knowledgeable citizen appointees.

This plan covers a broad scope of issues which are intimately linked to human habitation including septic system best practices, water supply recharge through stormwater and interbasin water balance management, public sewer expansion possibilities, and environmental protection.

The Committee has already concluded the Needs Analysis portion of this multi-phase $400,000 study through accumulating and analyzing vital data about our town’s population estimates, existing and future water supply demand, residential & commercial land use projections, and our current and future wastewater generation.  The study divides Hingham into twenty distinct zones and outlines the important physical characteristics which are prevalent in each of these areas. Some of the characteristics include residential lot size, proximity to vital wetlands, location within our water supply aquifer, and subsurface soil conditions that are favorable or not for on-site wastewater disposal.

Our hired consultants, Camp Dresser & McKee, are presently working on the Identification of Wastewater Alternatives section of the study. This investigation will look at various wastewater treatment system options and alternative technologies that could provide greater environmental and cost benefit to the Town.  These options run the array from optimizing existing residential septic systems, or clustering systems together, to expanding sewers further into Hingham.  During the final phase of the study, an extensive cost-effective analysis will be undertaken to compare all of the possibilities and arrive at a recommended plan that will serve Hingham for the next 20-years or so.

Public meetings are held after each completed section of the study where preliminary conclusions are presented and comments sought from our residents and businesses.  Please consider attending our meetings.