City of Derby, ConnecticutWater Pollution Control Authority

Services / Water Pollution Control Authority

Water Pollution Control Authority

Description : The Derby Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) is responsible for the city’s waste water collection and treatment. The system contains over 40 miles of sewers with 75% of those pipes constructed prior to 1970. The system also includes 4 pump stations owned and operated by the WPCA. Those stations are located at Patty Ann Terrace, South Division Street, Burtville Avenue and Roosevelt Drive. All wastewater flows into the main treatment facility at 1 Caroline Street.

Governance : The WPCA is governed by an authority composed of five members appointed by the mayor and approved by the board of aldermen to serve five year terms. No more than 3 members may be from the same political party. The current members are Jack Walsh (Chair), Kelly Curtis, and Robert Miani. The operations of the WPCA are subject to regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment (DEEP).

Funding : The WPCA receives its funding through fees from users of the system. Users pay a flat fee for their connection as well as a fee based on usage. The usage is reported to the WPCA from the water company. These fees are computed annually, and bills are mailed in the fall. Consumers may pay in two installments. Since, 2018 users are being assessed an annual “Capital Fee” to cover the costs of the capital improvements being made as part of the 2014 referendum. That cost will be approximately $257 per unit and will be billed annually until the entire referendum costs are paid, which is expected to be at least 20 years.

WPCA - Permit Application for Wastewater Discharges from Domestic Sewage Treatment Works to Surface Waters - Draft - 02-12-2024

2024-2025 - Adopted Budget

2023-2024 - Adopted Budget

2022-2023 Adopted Budget

2021-2022 Budget with notes

Audit WPCA June 30, 2020

Audit WPCA June 30, 2019

Audit WPCA June 30 2018

Sewer Fee Explanation of Bill

Capital Fee Explanation

CLICK HERE TO MAKE ONLINE PAYMENT

***PLEASE NOTE: A CONVENIENCE FEE THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO THE CREDIT CARD PROCESSING COMPANY WILL BE INCLUDED ON EACH CREDIT CARD TRANSACTION.***
***NONE OF THE CONVENIENCE FEE GOES TO THE CITY OF DERBY ***

Notice is hereby given to the Taxpayers of the City of Derby that the WPCA Sewer Use fee and the WPCA Capital fee for July 1, 2024– June 30, 2025 will be mailed out on August 31, 2024 with a due date of September 1, 2024 for the first half. You have until October 1, 2024 to pay these fees without penalty. Fees became delinquent October 2, 2024 and are be subject to interest of 1.5% a month from the due date.

The second half of the Sewer fee and the Capital fee is due March 1, 2025, you will have until April 1, 2025 to pay without interest. Fees become delinquent April 2, 2025 and will be subject to interest of 1.5% a month from the due date. You will not receive another bill in March.

Failure to receive a bill does not invalidate the Sewer fee or Capital fee bill or any interest accrued.

The WPCA office is located at 1 Elizabeth Street, and will be open Monday – Wednesday 8:30am to 5:00pm. Thursday 8:30am to 6:00pm and Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm. Bills may also be paid online at www.derbyct.gov. There is a fee to pay with a debit or credit card on line or in the office.

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Derby CT FOG Residential Brochure
What residents can do with Fats, Oils & Grease at home

Regulations and Forms

Fats, Oils, & Grease Pretreatment Regulations Adopted 3-15-2017

REGULATIONS FOR THE INSTALLATION AND CONNECTION OF BUILDING SEWERS AND FOR THE USE OF PUBLIC SEWERS IN THE CITY OF DERBY
APPLICATION FOR NEW SEWER CONNECTION, SEWER REPAIR OR DISCONNECT
CONTRACTORS REGISTRATION FORM
FOG (FATS.OILS & GREASE) PROGRAM INSPECTION

FATS, OILS, & GREASE PRETREATMENT PROGRAM REGISTRATION FORM

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2014 Referendum for Capital Projects

In 2014, the citizens of the of the City of Derby approved the following referendum question:

“Shall the City of Derby appropriate $31,240,000 for improvements, additions, renovations and upgrades to the city’s water pollution control facility and sanitary sewerage system, and authorize the issuance of bonds, notes and other obligations in the same amount to defray the appropriation, such obligations anticipated to be paid entirely from sanitary sewerage system revenues?”

Since that time, the WPCA has been implementing the items planned for in the referendum. Here is an update on the progress to date.

Pumping Stations

In 2018 Pump Stations on South Division Street and Burtville were completed and work on the very complex and much larger pumping station on Roosevelt Drive was begun. Holzner Construction was the firm selected to construct the new Roosevelt Drive Pumping Station. Throughout 2018 they completed site clearance and had built permanent sheeting along the river. During the spring of 2019 they completed the drilling of caissons and construction of the deep excavation needed for the installation of the pumping station and wet well. The pumping station structures were built offsite by United Concrete in Wallingford and were delivered and installed on the site on August 16, 2019. The project was substantially completed on November 30, 2019.

Reconstruction of RT 34 (Main Street)

Bids were received during the fall of 2021 for the reconstruction of RT 34 between Third Street and Water Street. As part of this effort, the WPCA will be installing approximately 3,500 linear feet of new small and large diameter gravity sewers along with twenty (20) new sanitary manholes. Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2022. The cost of the project will be approximately $2.8M and funded by the $31.2 million referendum passed by voters in 2014.

Factory Street & Caroline Street Sewers (Rt. 34)

Weston & Sampson completed the design of the Factory Street sewers. The project was bid in April of 2020. The WPCA selected True Blue Environmental to install approximately 600 linear feet of 24-inch diameter gravity sewers along Caroling Street and Factory Street. This project was completed in advance of the Main Street RT 34 project, which will direct flows from Main Street through this newly installed gravity sewer. The cost of the project was $524,000 and funded by the $31.2 million referendum passed by voters in 2014.

Main Plant Improvements

Part of the referendum also called for the WPCA to make upgrades to the water pollution control facility and to the solids handing system at the main plant. The city has subsequently submitted plans for upgrades to DEEP. However, those plans have never been approved as the state appropriated funding for a study of possible regionalization of Wastewater Treatment Facilities and that study is ongoing. See more below.

It should also be noted that the city is in negotiations with the Aquarion Water Company for the possible privatization of the system.

The City and WPCA will be deciding in 2022 whether to maintain its own system, regionalize with Ansonia and Seymour or strike an agreement with Aquarion. The decision will be based on what is best for the citizens of Derby.

Infiltration/Inflow Control

The WPCA developed an Infiltration / Inflow (I/I) Control Plan, in accordance with an EPA Clean Water Act Consent Order, to help reduce the amount of clean water entering our sanitary sewers. We have previously conducted an extensive Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Survey to identify and quantify these sources of clean water entering our sewer system. We have begun implementation of the necessary repairs to the sewers. The WPCA has allocated $270,000 annually for this work from its annual budget.

The prioritized implementation of the I/I Control Plan construction projects specifically targets the largest known sources of public inflow entering our wastewater collection system first.

Phase 1: During the months of February and March 2019, the WPCA complete “Infiltration / Inflow Rehabilitation Project - Phase 1”. This project consisted of installing Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) liners in the existing sanitary sewers in the following areas: Cedric Ave, David Humphries Road, Hawthorne Ave, Hawkins Street, Mohawk Ave, Pershing Drive, Pleasant View Road, Seymour Ave, Turner Ave.

Phase 2: During the months of July and August 2019, the WPCA complete “Infiltration / Inflow Rehabilitation Project - Phase 2”. This project consisted of the replacement of approximately 1,300 linear feet of sanitary sewers in the following areas: Summit Street, Winter Street, Smith Street, Hawkins Street, Seymore Ave, Olivia Street, Sentinel Hill Road.

Phase 3: During the months of September and October 2021, the WPCA complete “Infiltration / Inflow Rehabilitation Project - Phase 3”. This project consisted of installing approximately 2,400 linear feet of Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) lining and related manhole and lateral lining along Sodom Lane.

Phase 4: During the months of April and May of 2022, the WPCA completed “Infiltration / Inflow Rehabilitation Project - Phase 4”. This project consisted of installing approximately 2,300 linear feet of Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) lining and related manhole and lateral lining along Krakow Street and sewer easements east of Krakow Street along Two Mile Brook. This work eliminated approximately 25,000 gallons per day of previously identified infiltration entering the sewer system.

Phase 5 of the sanitary sewer rehabilitation program was bid in April 2023 and will include the installation of approximately 1,600 linear feet of Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) liners in existing sanitary sewers at targeted locations along Hickory Road, Seymore Ave (near Mason St), and four (4) short sections along New Haven Ave (RT 34). This work has been completed. It is anticipated that this work will eliminate approximately 40,000 gallons per day of infiltration entering the sewer system.

These recent efforts are reducing clean water flows entering our wastewater treatment plant keep the city in full compliance with DEEP’s consent orders.

Regional Wastewater Treatment Consolidation Study

The state Office of Policy and Management (OPM) has authorized $1.35 million for NVCOG to conduct a regional wastewater treatment consolidation study. The study, which began in April 2018, is providing a preliminary analysis to help determine the region’s ability to increase capacity for properly treating wastewater in a consolidated facility or facilities, thereby leading to a reduction in long-term state and local capital improvements and a reduction of user fees. Full documentation for all the work to date can be found on the Naugatuck Valley Council of Government website as they are coordinating the study. CLICK HERE for complete information.

The study included Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby in the initial phase. Phase 1 concluded in early 2019. The tasks included a review of existing planning documents and related assessments of existing wastewater treatment facilities and collection system infrastructures. It also provided an estimation of 20-year wastewater flows and load projections for each participating municipality, summarized existing wastewater system management and governance for each participating municipality, and identified potential opportunities for cost savings and operational efficiencies through alternative approaches to system management and governance structure. In addition, Phase 1 identified a long list of wastewater regionalization alternatives that appear to have initial merit for consideration.

Phase 2, which began in March 2020, includes a more extensive technical and engineering analysis, as well as identification of a short list of alternatives and preferred alternative(s) to the systems currently in place. It will also include a Cost Benefit Analysis, crafting of a Governance Model for any proposed regional wastewater entity and Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE).

At the end of 2021, the study came up with a recommended plan that includes Ansonia, Derby and Seymour. CLICK HERE for link to recommended plan.

It also includes a recommended governance model which the three towns will need to make a decision during 2022. CLICK HERE for link to recommended governance model.

Update on September 16, 2022 - “No action has been taken by any of the towns to move this plan forward, and it is effectively ended with no further plans for implementation.”

Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO):

The City of Derby sanitary sewer system provides service to over 12,000 customers and contains over 216,000 linear feet of pipe. The wastewater is transported to and treated at the Derby Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF). If the capacity of the sewer system is exceeded or if blockages occur, overflows may result. Untreated wastewater overflows that occur upstream of the WPCF are called Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs). SSOs are a threat to public health and the environment because the SSO may discharge pollutants such as pathogens, floatable materials, toxics and other pollutants, all of which may impact public health, drinking water supplies, water quality, and/or aquatic ecosystems.

The City of Derby WPCA's goal is to document and prevent (or mitigate) overflows whenever possible, to deal efficiently with the effects of such events, and to protect public health, environment, and property. While the City's collection system is old and prone to failures, a quick response and an aggressive maintenance and replacement plan will minimize the impacts.

The City of Derby WPCA is required to report all sewage overflows to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Any overflows that reach a local waterbody are listed on DEEP's website: CLICK HERE for details.