741 Colonel Ledyard Highway

Ledyard, Connecticut 06339

TOWN OF LEDYARD

Water Pollution Control Authority

Meeting Minutes

Chairman

Ed Lynch

Regular Meeting

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

6:30 PM

Council Chambers - Hybrid

CALL TO ORDER

The Regular Meeting was called to order by Chairman Lynch at 6:30 p.m.

II.

ROLL CALL

Board Member Terry Jones

Present

Board Member Stanley Juber

Board Member Monir Tewfik

Board Member Sharon Wadecki

Board Member Edmond Lynch

Alternate Member Jeremy Norris

Alternate Member Tony Capon

Alternate Member James A. Ball

Alternate

Also in attendance was Liz Burdick, Planning Director.

III.

IV.

APPOINTMENT OF ALTERNATES

Not needed.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

RESIDENTS & PROPERTY OWNERS COMMENTS

Habitat for Humanity development update from Sarah Lufler, Executive Director of Habitat for

Humanity.

Sarah Lufler, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, was present to give a development

update. Ms. Lufler said she received additional Planning and Zoning approval conditions that

they are working through. Habitat is waiting for a Department of Health announcement for the

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) along with all the conditions that would enable

Habitat to begin clearing. Ms. Lufler reiterated that Habitat abandoned the high-pressure system

and will be using low injector flow kits for each house. Habitat is circling back to Weston &

Samson for design and advice on flow rates, pump sizes and flow valves. Ms. Lufler said that

now that the project is "shovel ready" it is much easier to apply for funding. Mr. Jones asked if

Phase I (infrastructure) would be completed for all phases up front, Ms. Lufler answered yes.

She further explained that after the infrastructure phase there will be four phases of six houses

followed by two phases of seven houses. The last phase would be landscaping. Ms. Wadecki

asked how long she anticipated the project to take, Ms. Lufler said ideally a year per phase, so

six years.

VI.

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Motion to APPROVE the Regular Meeting Minutes from September 23, 2025.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Edmond Lynch

RESULT:

MOVER:

Sharon Wadecki

SECONDER:

Jones Juber Tewfik Wadecki Lynch

AYE

VII. COMMUNICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE

Operations Report.

Chairman Lynch said he needs to highlight something from a meeting he attended with GU. Ms.

Blacker said that in one of the leak test results there was a 7,500 gallon per day leak between a

curve stop and a meter. There is no incentive for the homeowner to fix the leak. Chairman Lynch

suggested that the Authority takes ownership. The meter is in the basement and should be at the

curb stop. Chairman Lynch said that Groton Utilities has their own policy that states that GU

would need to hire a plumber to fix the leak; that they would not be allowed to fix it themselves

because it is on private property. Mr. Capon suggested that this topic is discussed further later in

the meeting under New Business #7 (7000 gallon /day leak at Gales Ferry).

Chairman Lynch said there is some comments on the TTHM results that will be discussed later

in the meeting.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

Service Correspondence.

Aged Reports/Finance.

Year to Date Water/Sewer Report.

PSR - Steve Banks.

Chairman Lynch highlighted a few things from the report;

Beaver activity at the plant is a habitual problem.

Flows have increased slightly as groundwater levels have increased due to recent rains.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

Groton Utilities Hydraulic Model Calibration, Field Verification, and Water Age Analysis letter

dated September 29, 2025.

VIII. OLD BUSINESS

15 Stoddards Wharf Road Sewer Request.

Ms. Wadecki said more details need to be put into the second paragraph; it implies that it is for

sewer "installed facilities" but needs a more specific explanation. The water and sewer lines

plans are referenced but should also be included. Other sections need amending to fix

inconsistencies, and redundancies. Chairman Lynch said "in the vicinity of Colby Drive" should

be changed to refer to the Bill Library not Colby Drive. It was also agreed that "Stoddards

Wharf" is confusing. Removal of paragraph one and the referral of that paragraph from 3a was

suggested.

ACTION ITEM:

Revise the Water and Sewer Main Extension Agreement for the November agenda.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

Lead Survey Proposal Review Sewer Decision.

Chairman Lynch said that the Department of Health has rules on the selection of an engineering

firm. These procedures include qualification-based hiring. Once the decision is made of which

firm is the most qualified a price negotiation can begin. Chairman Lynch wanted the Authority to

perform ratings on the engineering firms. He started by stating that he felt all three firms could

do a good job and no deficiencies were found.

H2M - The firm talked generically how the plan would be executed.

Weston & Sampson - Stated clever ways to reduce costs. What they proposed was interesting.

They also mentioned the possibility of obtaining additional grant money.

Arcadis - Not only did the firm mention clever ways to reduce costs but also demonstrated how

they saved money in recent work performed in New London. Arcadis also mentioned the

possibility of obtaining additional grant money. The only downside is their resources since they

are the smallest firm. Groton Utilities uses Arcadis as a consultant for their lead survey work and

Arcadis also has a very strong relationship with the Department of Health.

Chairman Lynch reviewed the inventory;

There are 539 undocumented unknown materials. Holes (in the trade they are called "potholes")

would need to be dug for each service line to determine the material of construction, and

perform such work at a rate of approximately three holes dug a day. Ms. Wadecki asked if

algorithms could be used instead, Chairman Lynch said the GU is of the opinion that the DPH

would not accept model statistics. Out of the 539 unknowns there are 500 with documentation

that may need to be verified as accurate. This inventory needs to be completed in three years.

Motion to RECOMMEND Arcadis to provide engineering services for the Lead and Copper

Rule (LCR) Revisions (LCRR) compliance, as specified in their application dated October 2,

2025.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Edmond Lynch

RESULT:

MOVER:

Sharon Wadecki

SECONDER:

Jones Juber Tewfik Wadecki Lynch

AYE

Holmberg Pump Repair and Preventive Maintenance.

The approval of the repair to the Holmberg tank emergency fire pump and 5-year maintenance

agreement.

Groton Utilities needs to provide a new invoice. No action taken. This item will be removed

from the agenda until a new invoice is provided.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

Ordinance Update Proposal amend section 3 of ordinance ORD200-001 rev1 - discussion. What

is the maximum emergency number for exclusion of ordinance?

Rate Increases - discussion.

CUSI Purchase Order Approval.

The invoice is for a one-time upgrade fee for the current billing system. This would be a capital

expenditure.

Motion to APPROVE the payment of CUSI Invoice #INVC-13204, dated October 1, 2025, in

the amount of $15,000, for UB4 implementation.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Edmond Lynch

RESULT:

MOVER:

Sharon Wadecki

SECONDER:

Jones Juber Tewfik Wadecki Lynch

AYE

Hydraulic Model Purchase Order Approval.

Any Other Old Business to Come Before the Authority.

None.

IX.

NEW BUSINESS

Motion to APPROVE the WPCA 2026 Calendar Year Meeting Schedule as written.

Ms. Wadecki asked if the Authority wants to keep the meeting time at 6:30 p.m. or switch it

back to 7:00 p.m. Mr. Norris said it's harder for him to get to the meetings at 6:30 p.m. The

Commissioners agreed that 7:00 p.m. would be better.

Motion to APPROVE the WPCA 2026 Calendar Year Meeting Schedule, with meeting times

moved from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Edmond Lynch

RESULT:

MOVER:

Sharon Wadecki

SECONDER:

Jones Juber Tewfik Wadecki Lynch

AYE

WPCA Town Council Presentation.

Chairman Lynch said he was asked by Mayor Allyn III and Matt Bonin, Finance Director to

define what constitutes an emergency and if there is a dollar limit. Ms. Wadecki said it would be

hard to put a dollar amount on an emergency, but a true emergency requires fixes to be

performed immediately. Chairman Lynch said Groton Utilities has checkpoints in place for

emergency repairs when the cost is greater than a pre-determined amount an approval is

required. It was suggested that Chairman Lynch forwards GU's emergency repair procedure to

Finance.

Chairman Lynch was asked to send a presentation to the Town Council. Chairman Lynch said he

wrote a draft for the Authority to review and added that he wants to add public hearings to the

draft. Mr. Ball suggested adding a link to the customer guide.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

Discussion and possible approval of extending the "east-west" spur to the eventual Tri-Town

Trail (TTT) along Stoddards Wharf Road to the Gales Ferry Schools complex/Route 12 over an

existing Groton Utilities easement for water pipes.

Chairman Lynch explained that Dennis Main, Avalonia is requesting approval of extending the

"east-west" spur to the eventual Tri-Town Trail (TTT) along Stoddards Wharf Road to the Gales

Ferry Schools complex/Route 12 over an existing Groton Utilities easement for water pipes.

Chairman Lynch said based on statutes the WPCA needs to give its permission for such a trail.

Mr. Main shared maps he received from GU with the Authority. The piping is owned by the

WPCA. Mr. Main explained that Avalonia doesn't have any ownership interest rather they are

advocating for connection of the trails. Chairman Lynch asked if there are any power lines on the

easement and it was answered no. The Authority agreed that they would give permission and

thanked Mr. Main for what he is doing with the trails.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

7000 gallon/day leak at Gales Ferry residence at curb stop before the meter.

Chairman Lynch said he was surprised to find out that there is curb stop service to basement

meters. Unfortunately, this is not unique to this residence, there are several others in Gales Ferry

with the same set up. GU has explained to the owner(s) that it is in their best interest to have the

repair completed. GU will not repair the line because they do not repair lines on private property.

The owner will need to hire a contractor to complete the repair. There is no incentive for the

owner to complete the repair since they do not see an increase on their water bill. It was

suggested that the WPCA sends the resident a letter stating that water will be shut off to stop the

leak, which may be the WPCA's only recourse. The letter should be sent before November 1,

because after that date water cannot be shut off. Chairman Lynch said it was estimated that 7,500

gallons a day is going into the ground. Ms. Wadecki explained that the meter is past the area of

the leak, the meter is in the basement, and the leak is between the curb stop and the meter so the

water being leaked is not registering. It's to everyone's benefit to fix the leak. There were

questions raised; how many residences have meters in the basement, should all the meters be

moved or just the ones with leaks, are there any undetected leaks?

ACTION ITEM: Chairman Lynch will ask Mauricio Duarte, Groton Utilities General Foreman

Water Operations, for a count of basement meters and discuss further action.

DISCUSSED

RESULT:

Any Other New Business to Come Before the Authority.

None.