Phase Three Sewer Work To Begin Nov. 1

 HARWICH – Beginning next month, moving about in East Harwich will once again not be an easy task as Phase Three of the sewer installation project for that section of town will be getting underway. The construction duration is expected to take two-and-a-half to three years to complete.   

 Residents of the area know what to expect, having experienced similar delays and detours during the first two phases of work in that section of town.

At a combined cost of $41,835,925, the town has approved two contracts with Robert B. Our Co. for the installation of the sewers. The project will also include limited water service replacements coordinated by the water/wastewater department and replacement of old catch basins and limited new stormwater systems installed by the department of public works.

About 60 East Harwich residents gathered on Oct. 1 in the community center for a community engagement session detailing what can be expected during the construction period. Project manager Jeff Gregg for GHD, Inc., the town’s project engineers, said the project will start on Nov. 1 with the marking of the roads under contract 2W, which includes the Pleasant Bay Road and Standish Woods area. Road work will start there on Nov. 4.

Work on the larger of the two contracts, to the east side of the project, has a tentative starting date of Feb. 3, 2025. Typical construction hours for this project will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and there will be no major road construction on Route 39 or Pleasant Bay Road in the summer. There will be multiple construction zones on main roads under both contracts, but the contractor will be limited on what  main road work can occur when main-line detours are in effect, according to Gregg. Detour routes for each construction zone will be posted on the town’s website.

 “There may be places where traffic patterns may change from day to day,” Gregg said. “We’ll keep the traffic flowing as best we can.” 

 There will be several pump stations and sheds built under these contracts. Suction-lift pump station buildings will be built on Chestnut Lane and Pleasant Bay Road (East) and three electrical enclosure, submersible type sheds will be constructed on Route 39, Bova Cove and Wilma’s Way. Gregg said these structures are intended to fit in with the surrounding architecture and will also be well landscaped.

 Engineers have already determined the best connection locations on each of the more than 630 properties to be sewered under these contracts, but property owners can review the location and should consult with a plumber/engineer if they have special circumstances that would require a relocation, explained Gregg.

The contractor will mark each lateral location and notify property owners at least two weeks prior to the start of construction on their roads. Gregg said a resident project representative, engineer, or the contractor will work with residents to address location concerns. A property owner’s request for a change in location must be documented in a “property owner request form.”  

Several residents had questions about the cost to property owners to connect to the sewer. Gregg said he could not speak to those specifics because there are varying factors for each property, such as whether the septic system is located in the front or back of a house, whether the connecting pipe has to go through a paved driveway or a landscaped area, and whether the connection would be extended into the basement. The homeowner is responsible for hiring an engineer or registered sanitarian to develop a plan from the house to the lateral location connection, he said. 

One woman asked about the installation of a grinder pump, and whether a generator was a requirement to provide service during power outages. Gregg said the town will provide the pump, but the property owner’s contractor will be charged with installing it. Whether to have a generator installed is up to the property owner, he said. 

Another resident wanted to know about the avoidance of other utilities in the ground during these installations.  Project manager Craig Trombly of Robert B. Our Company said his company is very careful, and will move away from any utilities. Trombley said the contractor would be fined $5,000 if they hit a natural gas line.    

There are locations in Phase Three where decisions have to be made to either go with a gravity collection system or a low pressure system. The advantage to a gravity system is that property owners won’t need a pressure pump, Gregg said.

It was estimated that residents wouldn’t receive orders to connect to the new sewer until late 2027 or 2028, and residents will be given two years to make the connection. The project must first be complete and receive approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection before the connection letters are issued.

Gregg also mentioned several funding mechanisms that are available to assist homeowners in paying for the connection costs. He said tax credits are available, as well as assistance from the Cape Cod Aqua Fund, a county loan program. Local assistance through the town can also offset costs, he said.

Residents with any questions relative to the Phase Three sewer project were also told to call Town Administrator Joseph Powers at 508-430-7513.