Addressing rumors on social media

NEW LONDON – At the Sept. 3 New London Board of Public Works meeting, Chad Hoerth, city administrator for the city of New London, addressed comments shared by the public on social media about the city’s wastewater treatment facility.
The comments were made in regards to information that the city shared with the public so it would be aware of what is happening with the New London Wastewater Treatment Facility.
“There were some comments and some questions and some statements that were on social media that, frankly were incorrect,” Hoerth said. “So, we want to make sure that we’re starting to get out the correct information.”
One comment asked why residents would have to pay more for upgrading the wastewater facility, as the taxes they currently pay should cover that. Hoerth said the wastewater treatment facility is not paid for through taxes, it is paid for through the sewer bills of residents.
“It’s a completely separate fund, it’s not directly tied to the city’s general fund, which is financed through tax dollars,” Hoerth said. “That fund is financed through user fees, so no, your taxes do not pay for the treatment plant.”

The benefit to this way of financing the wastewater treatment facility is those who use the facility more will pay more, such has industries. This way of financing the facility also allows for tax-exempt entities, such as churches, to also pay to use the wastewater treatment facility.
Another question posed online asked the city why it was not saving funds for the past 20 years to rebuild the wastewater treatment facility.
In response, Hoerth said the city did not know 20 years ago what the regulation requirements would be in the future.
“That doesn’t mean that we haven’t been planning and working on upgrades, the city’s been making upgrades,” Hoerth said. “The last major one occurred in 2019.”
Hoerth added that the city was notified three years ago about the change to the city’s permit discharge limits. He said since then, the city has been working on the best path forward.
The upgrades done in 2019 did not change the overall process of how the facility treats wastewater, Hoerth said. Changes were also made that allowed the city to sell waste which allowed the city to bring in revenue to help offset some of the large losses the facility endured when Saputo Cheese closed.
Regarding the timing of events, Hoerth reiterated that the city was notified three years ago about new limits that would be required of the wastewater treatment facility. Newer designed facilities had until 2025 to meet those requirements. Since New London’s facility is an older design, Hoerth said the DNR is allowing the city more time to get into compliance with the limits.
Hoerth said the city did try different things to see if it could comply with the new limits.
“In the end it was determined that the limits of an existing 50-year-old plant with outdated design and technology could not reduce phosphorus to comply with the new DNR regs,” Hoerth said.
Because of that the city hired a consultant in 2024 to help the city devise a plan to meet the new limits. The city has until July 1, 2029 to meet the new limits.