The Department of Public Works comments on Sherbrooke Farms
As Dartmouth faces three housing projects, bringing over 500 units to town, the Board of Public Works is concerned about how this influx of people would affect the town’s water and sewer systems.
They are currently most concerned about Sherbrooke Farms, a 152 unit apartment complex proposed to be built on Old Westport Road.
Sherbrooke Farms is a Chapter 40B project, which means that the Zoning Board of Appeals can’t outright deny the project unless it poses a public safety issue.
This means that the Board of Public Works will need to prepare for the influx of people.
The Board is waiting on the results of a wastewater flow and loading study, which is comparing today’s flow impact at the Water Pollution Control Facility, compared to historically. This includes the impact of kitchen drains on the facility and the impact of proposed projects. In regards to the 40B projects, it will look at how they will impact the facility’s 80% influx design.
If the study shows the projects could have too much impact, it could back up the Zoning Board of Appeal’s decision to deny some of the 40B projects.
The Board of Public Works have yet to submit their recommended conditions for Sherbrooke Farms, as they are currently in negotiations with the developer’s team to conduct a sewer and water evaluation. Director of Public Works Tim Barber said he thinks the developers are pushing to close before this study is done. The public hearing for the project is set to close by April 30.
“I don’t think the Zoning Board should be giving any approval without [the pump station concerns] being handled,” said Barber.
Sewering Sherbrooke Farms would require replacing the force main along Old Westport Road with a larger main and connecting to four nearby pump stations. Barber said he is hoping that the developers will pay for a sewer and water evaluation to be conducted to see how Sherbrooke would impact the pump stations and force main.
Currently the two pump stations near the area are small and affected by the private pump station for the nearby Autumn Glen.
If Sherbrooke Farms is approved, the Department of Public Works may have to build additional pump stations to accommodate the added population, but this would have to be decided with the sewer and water evaluation.
In a meeting Barber had with the developer’s engineer, the engineer stated he was unable to sign off on funding the evaluation but was willing to provide information for it.
“[The Zoning Board] can’t say we have to allow them to connect, but capacity isn’t there,” said Barber.
