Waste water estimate disputed

State environmental officials are disputing the amount of waste water Saugus has removed from its sewer system, just a year after heavily fining the town for illegally discharging raw sewage into the Saugus River.

Saugus officials say they have prevented 591,000 gallons of waste water from trickling into its system by fixing cracked pipes, replacing connections, and identifying illegal sewer hookups, among other remedial steps the town agreed to in a consent order with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

But the agency, which a year ago today fined the town $25,000 for violating the federal Clean Water Act, is questioning how the town arrived at the 591,000 estimate.

''The amount they arrived at, for the work they did, seems high to us," said Joe Ferson, an agency spokesman. ''There's a question about the replacement work on some manholes."

Ferson said the agency wants more information about the methodology the town is using to calculate the amount of waste water removed from the system after a repair is made. ''The formula they used to arrive at this is unclear," he said.

Saugus officials who are closely monitoring the sewer repairs -- a long-term project estimated to cost in the millions -- said they believe the town is meeting the provisions of a consent decree signed last April.

''I believe we are complying with the requirements," said Town Manager Andrew Bisignani. ''It's unfortunate that they aren't willing to give us credit for some of the repairs that we've made."

Peter A. Rossetti Jr., the chairman of the selectmen, said: ''I believe we've met our initial goals. . . . But now we just have to wait to see if the state agrees."

A lawyer for the town sent a letter to the agency on Jan. 19 stating that Saugus will provide documentation about several repairs, including work on a 10-inch sewer pipe under Tuttle Lane, a connection beneath Hurd Avenue, and manholes at the intersection of Dudley Street, Greenwood Avenue, and Walcott Road, as well as one at 1 North Plaza.

On Sunday, the town completed its first full replacement of a sewer line, an 85-foot line running under Route 1 at Main Street. ''We went at it like little beavers," said Joseph Attubato, the Saugus public works director. ''It was a tough job that, to be honest, we never would have known about if not for this project."

Saugus pumps an estimated 4 million gallons of sewage a day through 120 miles of sewer lines. Most is sent to a waste-water-treatment plant at Lynn Harbor, where it is treated and pumped into the ocean. But, during heavy rains, the amount of sewage running through the system can swell to as high as 16 million gallons per day. With no capacity to handle it, the overflow is discharged from a pumping station on Lincoln Avenue into the Saugus River.

But the state environmental agency last year cracked down on the practice, calling it a risk to public health and the environment. The town was fined $25,000 and ordered to develop a long-term plan to fix defective sewer lines, many of which were laid in the 1960s and 1970s.

A ''sewer bank" was set up to track progress. It credits the town for taking waste water out of the system. For each repair made, the town is given a credit for removing waste water, using a 10-to-1 ratio. For every 10 gallons of waste water removed, the town can add a gallon to its sewer capacity.

Under the sewer bank plan, developers and residents are charged to tie into the system. For every gallon they want to add to the sewer system, they must pay for the removal of 10 gallons of waste water, at a rate of $3 per gallon.

Town officials estimate that a house generates about 110 gallons of sewage per bedroom. Using the formula, a developer building a three-bedroom home would have to pay $9,900 to tie into the system.

Three developers have filed suit against the town, alleging that the fees are unfair. Town officials also fear the fee structure could be discouraging development, which could hurt revenue.

Building permits have fallen about 50 percent since the same time last year, Bisignani said.

''It appears some developers are holding back," he said. ''My hope is that it doesn't affect our permit fees [revenue] too much."

When at least 250,000 gallons of waste water have been removed, the consent decree allows the town to get more credit for each gallon it removes.

To find faulty pipes, workers use smoke tests and video cameras. They also inspect manholes and visit homes to check for illegally connected drains and sump pumps. Once a problem is found, the crew takes pictures and writes a report to document it. A private company, EST of Needham, is called in to examine how big the leak is, and estimate how much waste water will be eliminated by fixing it. The report is then sent to the state, according to Attubato.

Most repairs have been to sewer lines near brooks, wetlands, and other areas with high water tables. ''Most of the time, we've found that when these pipes were laid, the connections weren't right," he said. ''When they collapse or break, they take in water."

And that water is also costly to Saugus sewer customers. When waste water flows into the system through a crack, the town ends up paying to treat waste water at the water-treatment plant at Lynn Harbor. And that bill is paid by Saugus ratepayers. Rossetti said: ''It's expensive rainwater."

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.