The Harwich Board of Water and Wastewater Commissioners reached a significant milestone Friday morning, finalizing a comprehensive overhaul of the town’s sewer regulations. The move, which follows months of coordination with neighboring Chatham, marks the official adoption of rules governing the town’s expanding wastewater infrastructure and resolves technical concerns regarding residential grinder pumps.

Chair Noreen Donahue opened the public hearing by highlighting the regional cooperation required for the update. Under the existing inter-municipal agreement with Chatham, Harwich must submit any regulatory changes to its neighbor’s Water and Sewer Advisory Board and Select Board for approval before they can be enacted locally. Donahue noted that this process concluded throughout August and September, with only minor technical adjustments requested by legal counsel. They did have from their legal counsel one line that they wanted changed which actually was more of a typo which we did, Donahue explained. These revisions are now our current sewer regulations.

The board also addressed specific technical inquiries raised by a local resident regarding emergency connectors for grinder pumps. Superintendent Jason Trapania and engineers from GHD resolved those concerns via correspondence prior to the hearing, ensuring that the final document addressed practical operational needs for homeowners. Commissioner Judith Underwood emphasized the long-term effort behind the document, stating, For the understanding of the audience, the board has been looking at these for many months. So, pretty much everything has been resolved.

Motion Made by J. Underwood to open the public hearing. Motion Passed 3-0-0. After confirming no members of the public were present for further comment, the board moved to formalize the rules. Motion Made by J. Goff to close the public hearing. Motion Passed 3-0-0.

Following the hearing, Donahue directed Trapania to file the certified regulations with the Town Clerk, ensuring the documentation includes Chatham's formal approval to maintain the integrity of the regional partnership. Commissioner John Goff noted that the final version remained consistent with the board's previous deliberations, remarking, No, these are the same that we've gone over. Motion Made by J. Goff to approve the revised sewer regulations as presented in today's packet. Motion Passed 3-0-0.

While the sewer regulations moved forward, a scheduled discussion on water liens was deferred. Utility Controller Sandy Seager requested the board wait until the next meeting on November 18 to finalize those items. The postponement comes as the department continues to manage the town’s reliance on outdated "Munis Classic" software, which has recently been cited across town boards as a source of administrative lag and billing errors. Superintendent Jason Trapania offered no additional updates during his report, stating simply, I don't have anything.