FARMINGTON — Upgrades to aging sewer and water systems at Mt. Blue High School were factored into the proposed campus renovation but connecting the school to municipal water and sewer will affect property owners along the approximate 2 miles from Route 2 to the school.

Extending the lines for the school’s needed sewer upgrade will provide potential hookups for property owners along Whittier Road up to the school. Homeowners can opt to continue with their present septic systems, if they’re in good working condition, or choose to hook on to the new line during construction, at a cost of about $800 for a regular house, said Mavis Gensel, wastewater clerk.

According to the town’s sewer use ordinance, homeowners face additional expense either way. Those within 200-feet of the new sewer line will be charged a minimum rate of $35.42 a quarter even if they choose not to connect to the new line, she said.

Letters about the proposed spring construction were recently sent to about 20 property owners but only about 10 are affected homeowners. Several properties along the road are vacant land and some homes are beyond the 200 feet, she said.

The ability to connect with town sewer and water could make the properties potentially more valuable for future development, she added.

Selectmen will hold a special meeting later this spring to hear from abutters and the public prior to the project going out to bid, Gensel said.

The school’s present waste plant, installed in 1969, is all rusted metal, said Steve Moore, superintendent of the town’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. An effluent pipe discharges directly into Sandy River.

A license for the 40-year-old system at Mt. Blue wouldn’t be renewed by the Department of Environmental Protection even if the school wasn’t expanding, Gensel said.

“The school has to do something,” she said.

The school’s two water wells aren’t the most reliable either prompting plans for Farmington Water District to install a large 400,000 gallon reservoir and the school to fund the extension of lines from Route 2 up Whittier and just beyond the school on Seamon Road, said Tom Holt, district superintendent.

The water line extension and reservoir would provide water and fire protection. The closest fire hydrants to the school are located on Route 2, he said.

About 75-percent of the $1.3 million sewer project will be paid for with U.S. Department of Agriculture, rural development grants, Moore said. The remaining 25-percent he’s trying to work into the department’s budget.

“There’s still some unanswered questions,” he said of the project.

Likewise, the Farmington Village Corp. is covering the expense of the $1 million plus reservoir cost, Holt said. Eventually water customers can expect a regular rate increase but he doesn’t foresee a rate increase this year to cover the expense.

One contractor is expected to install both water lines on the south side of Whittier Road and sewer lines on the north side. Construction could begin as early as April but the length of the project depends on how the contractor approaches construction, Moore said.

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