Artesian set to begin Chandler Street project

Artesian Wastewater is set to begin upgrades of the Chandler Street wastewater pump system as part of a broader project to decommission Milton’s wastewater treatment plant and send the town’s wastewater to Artesian’s planned facility on Route 30. 

Artesian will install new pumps, updated controls, a meter vault and platform, as well as enhanced electrical services as part of the project. Work will last until March and, Artesian officials say, residents may notice construction fencing around the project site, occasional traffic disruptions when equipment or materials are delivered, and the temporary relocation of decorative items in Memorial Park to prevent damage.

The pump station has been in existence since the 1960s.

In July, Artesian officials presented plans to town council. They said that once the pump station is upgraded, the next steps will be the actual pipelines that head out of town. Surveying work has begun for the pipeline that will run from Chandler Street across Union Street to Tilney Street and then north behind Shipbuilder’s Village until it meets up at Gravel Hill Road. Effluent treated at the Artesian’s facility will be spray irrigated on the company’s 1,700-acre network of spray irrigation fields off Gravel Hill Road. A construction timeline is not yet known. Artesian’s wastewater plant is expected to take 12 to 18 months to build.

Once the new wastewater plant is operational, the existing plant on Front Street will be demolished and the land returned to the town.