The facilities plan that was completed for the Town in 2008 looked at several sewering options for the 4 corners area.  Since vacuum sewers, pressure sewers, pre-engineered packaged disposal plants and other more exotic options were studied and ruled out, the focus was on conventional gravity sewer systems with pump stations to convey the wastewater to UConn.  (Incidentally, pumping the four corners sewage to the UConn treatment plant is actually a benefit to the plant as the “year-round” flows from the four corners will actually help to keep the plant’s bacteria healthy during the summers when the campus wastewater flow drops off dramatically).  The recommended sewering system (Alternative Number 1 in the report) is described and pictured as follows (see the map below):

 

Two alternative sites were considered for the pumping station required to serve the sewer service area.  The first site is located on land at the rear of the Jensen’s mobile home park directly adjacent to land owned by UConn as shown at the beginning of the blue line (the force main) on the map below.  Access to this site is envisioned to be via a permanent right of way that would be granted by the property owner from Route 44 along Old Wood Road through the mobile home park to the site.  Existing ground elevation at this location is approximately 546 feet.  Utilization of this site for a wastewater pumping station would require land acquisition from Jensen’s.

 

The second site considered would be located at the southeast corner of the property containing the Hunting Lodge Apartments adjacent to the north side of Hunting Lodge Road just west of the Cedar Swamp brook crossing.  This site would also be located outside of the flood hazard zone associated with the Cedar Swamp Brook at the Hunting Lodge Road crossing.  Approximately 1,900 linear feet of 15” diameter gravity sewer would be installed to bring wastewater flows from the mobile home park’s Old Wood Road across Cedar Swamp Brook and along the rear of the Club House and Hunting Lodge apartments to this location.  Access to this site would be directly from Hunting Lodge Road.  Existing ground elevation at this location is approximately 508 feet.  Utilization of this site for a wastewater pumping station would require land acquisition from the property owner (this location is just off the bottom of the map below).  Editor’s note:  Our most recent survey information shows that the topography and wetlands impacts of this second pump station site will make this location extremely difficult to design.

 

Both sites would need to contain sufficient area to allow for construction of the pumping station, a standby generator set, pumping station power and telecommunication utilities, and a small access driveway.  Typical land area requirements for this use are approximately 10,000 square feet or slightly less than ¼ of an acre.

 

 

The pumping station in the facilities plan recommended alternative would be located at the first site (near the rear property line of the Jensen’s mobile home park at the left end of the blue line).  Gravity sewers would be installed to bring wastewater from the sewer service area to this location.  A 2,600 foot long 8-inch diameter force main (the blue line) would be installed through UConn property to an existing sanitary sewer manhole located near the current end of North Hillside Road.  The discharge elevation of the force main would be approximately 652 feet.  The proposed route of the force main would avoid the recently designated UConn open space conservation parcel and generally parallel the route of an existing 16-inch diameter water transmission main serving the UConn campus.  The preliminary cost estimate for this alternative, which the Town has begun to design in its Public Works Department, is given on the last page below.

 

 

As the design of the system progresses, the Town’s engineers are further researching the pros, cons and costs of both pumping station locations to make certain that all factors have been considered in its location.  For example, locating the pump station at Hunting Lodge Road allows the sewering of both the Hunting Lodge and Club House apartments; however, it also would require significant work in wetlands and either a longer force main to connect to the UConn system, or sharing an existing UConn force main – both of which add cost and complexity to the overall system.  (See the editor’s note above.)

 

The final design of the sewer system and pumping station location will continue through 2009 into 2010.  Preliminary designs will be reviewed by the four corners sewer planning advisory committee, and made available to the public for comment.