Orleans water board weighs sewer fee cap
Other Committee · Meeting of September 23, 2026
Orleans water board debates capping sewer betterment fees while fielding complaints over Eversource herbicide spraying. Director of Public Works Rich Waldo and consultant Dan Pelletier presented a betterment study recommending no change to the town's water-usage-based assessment method, but commissioners pushed for a cap of two to three sewer units per property and referred the matter to town counsel. The board separately approved $114,019.15 in fees for a Route 6A property, $54,412.70 in sewer commitments, and $493,933.66 in water commitments, including a $486,752.66 fee from a Main Street property.
Resident Laura Kelly urged the board to push Eversource and the state harder on herbicide spraying, calling current oversight "not strong enough." Commissioner Mark Burston called herbicide use near the watershed "a public health issue, not a vegetation, vegetable, trees, plants issue." The board also abated fines against Seven Twitch Knot Farm and Ace Hardware.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,990 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of September 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Barnstable County News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news