WILTON — The public hearing for increasing Wilton water rates scheduled for Oct. 18 has been postponed to Nov. 15 due to a missed deadline.

Though no increase was voted on, details on the proposed increases were elaborated by Water and Wastewater Superintendent Heinz Grossman. The proposed staggered increase to Wilton’s Water rates is needed to qualify for loans and grant money sought to proceed with the water transmission line replacement project. According to Grossman, the current pipeline is reaching the end of its life expectancy of roughly 75 years.

The projected transmission line is expected to have a lifespan of roughly 90 to 100 years, have a 2-inch increase in diameter [from 10-inch pipelines to 12-inch pipelines] and run from from the Water Treatment Plant down North Pond Road to Colby Miller Road to Weld Road and connect back at a station across from the town office, which according to Jim Lord of Dirigo Engineering will localize the line to intown and help foster the growth of the community.

Multiple plans and scenarios were presented and elaborated at the meeting regarding how to get the funding needed to replace the water transmission line, with an offer from the USDA being the front runner. The offer includes a $7.4 million loan and a $2.2 million grant. To qualify for this loan and other funding sources, Wilton water rates would need to increase 55% based on the 2022 rates. To combat this large increase, a staggered increase of 10% for 2023 and an additional 9.86% in 2024 was proposed.

Other grant programs, such as DWSRF [Drinking Water State Revolving Fund] and Northern Borders Regional Commission were also presented. According to Grossman, DWSRF Principal Forgiveness program would need to wait until Sept. 2023 to apply for and there is no guarantee of making the priority list.

All information shared at the meeting will be shared again and elaborated on Nov. 15, with a vote on how to proceed with the increases.