Water Pollution Control Authority

Looking for WPCA Members: 1 full member. Email wpca@harwinton.us

WATER POLLUTION CONTROL AUTHORITY - Annual Report 2023

The Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) consists of a six-member volunteer board that meets monthly throughout the year to establish policies for, and monitor the Town’s Sewer Program and its operation. The WPCA performs this mission with assistance of Town staff. Jen Bucci is our Executive Assistant and Town Public Works Director Justin Downes is our liaison to the roads and proposed projects.

By state statute, the WPCA is responsible for long-range planning and coordination of maintenance and care of the sewer district environment. The WPCA is also responsible negotiating and implementing an Inter-municipal Agreement with the City of Torrington. All the sewage from our district is gravity fed to the Torrington Sewer Plant and processed by them.  Our contract with them expired over five years ago. We hope to have the new agreement in place in 2023-2024.

The city of Torrington is complete with a very large Capital project to upgrade the Torrington Wastewater Treatment plant.  The Town of Harwinton (sewer district) is partially responsible in paying for this upgrade. This is a large increase to our payments to Torrington under debt services. The Harwinton WPCA has been able to keep the annual user fee at $250.00; a public hearing may be scheduled in early 2024 to discuss an increase to offset the payments.

The Harwinton Water Pollution Control Authority oversees the operation and maintenance of approximately three and a half miles of sanitary sewers in Harwinton and is currently working with Wright Pierce on an extensive I-I Project and to upgrade the condition of all manholes in various areas within the sewer district. This portion of the project is scheduled to start in spring of 2024.

The wastewater collected by this system flows to the Water Pollution Control Facility of the City of Torrington.  The costs for both system maintenance and wastewater treatment are borne by the users connected to the system.Other responsibilities of the Authority include prevention, control and abatement of pollution of ground and surface waters of the Town.The Authority consists of five members and two alternates elected at the Annual Town Meeting for three-year terms.  The Authority holds regular monthly meetings except. Special meetings are held as needed. As of June 30, 2021 there are 256 connections from Harwinton to the system.

2023 Meeting Schedule - All meeting held at 6:30pm

January 10th - February 14th - March 14th - April 11th - May 9th - June 13th - July 11th - August 8th - September 12th - October 10th - November 14th - December 12th - January 9th, 2024