Chester board hears wastewater treatment upgrade plan $7million project would increase capacity for building in village area

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

For as long as The Telegraph has been covering Chester town government, an upgrade to the town’s sewage treatment plant has been a problem on a distant horizon. Last Wednesday, Dufresne Group engineer Naomi Johnson told the Select Board — in its alter ego as the Water and Sewer Commission — that problem has arrived.

But at least one member asserted that Johnson’s solution was unaffordable for users and needed to be re-thought.

Johnson, who has worked on many projects for the town, was presenting the preliminary engineering report for an upgrade to the treatment plant, which she said is currently at capacity and is overburdened during large rainstorms and heavy snow melts. Johnson also noted that except for a downtick in the 2020 census, the population of Chester has been increasing since the 1920s and the area served by the water/sewer system increases at twice the rate of the town as a whole. Continued growth without a plant upgrade would tax the system beyond its capacity according to Johnson.

In her presentation, Johnson divided the problems along the lines of age and capacity. She noted that some of the components of the system date back to 1972 while others are suitable for current use, but are “undersized for future flows” and that the system struggles with current peak flows. The recommended fixes for those problems comes in just under $7 million.

Town Manager Julie Hance – who sits on the Housing Commission that is seeking to increase the number of dwellings in town –  asked if the system could handle an eight-unit housing complex. Johnson replied no.

Board member Peter Hudkins objected to the scope and cost of the project as more than the system’s users could bear. Johnson provided a breakdown of three alternatives for financing the work showing that the annual cost for the typical user.

Currently, according to Dufresne’s detailed engineering report, the typical Chester resident’s sewer bill is $870 per year. The best-financed alternative among the three would take that bill up to $1,346 per year during the life of a 30-year bond. Hudkins called that a 64 percent increase (although the math looks more like 57.5 percent) and suggested coming up with a percentage increase that users could handle and to size the project based on that amount of money.

“How much can we fix for 20 percent?” asked Hudkins, who suggested some alternatives including ways to cut the peak flows that result from storm water infiltration. While the system is designed to carry waste off to the treatment plant there are several ways that storm water can get into pipes and create above normal flows. These include pipes that are compromised by cracks or roots and allow ground water to enter, manholes that are worn, letting water flow in from the street and connecting sump pumps to the system, which is prohibited by a town ordinance.

Hudkins also questioned the assumptions regarding population growth saying that increased sewer rates could drive people away.

Johnson told the board that the work proposed would update and upgrade the plant so it could handle an additional 75,000 gallons of sewage per day, allowing for substantial growth in housing and commercial uses that would not be possible today.

As for the user cost, Johnson told the board that there are grant opportunities available to reduce the amount that the town would have to borrow via bonds and that having the final design of the project in hand would help the town in applying for those grants. For example, in 2025 the Northern Border Commission gave $15.3 million to six projects involving wastewater in Vermont.

Once again, there was discussion about whether the town as a whole should pay for the work on the sewage plant in addition to the 600 users in the village area. Board member Arne Jonynas – who is on the system and spent many years in the plumbing trade – pointed to the high cost that those who don’t live in the village pay to install and maintain their private septic systems.

The time frame laid out in the report for final design is 2027 followed by funding/grant applications and a bond vote, followed by construction in 2028 to 2030. This is likely to be an ongoing item on future agendas.