A Windham resident and an engineer proposed the town look into working with Salem on sewer lines before making a definite decision on where to install a utility conduit along I-93. Windham’s Board of Selectmen has been pondering whether to install a conduit for future water, sewer, electricity and telecommunication lines.

The state Department of Transportation is in its final design phase for the I-93 project in Windham, and has asked the Windham Board of Selectmen to decide whether they want the conduit installed across the highway or along it before the final design is solidified.

Engineers from the DOT have said the project could cost about $300,000, and has not said they would pay for it. The DOT’s plan would be to install the conduit between the weigh station and Exit 3 on I-93. The town could also wait and bore through the highway themselves, should they so choose, for around the same price.

The area that would benefit the most economically from the utilities would be in the Route 111 corridor area, south of where the DOT has proposed installing the conduit.

Resident Karl Dubay attended the board’s meeting on Monday, Sept. 15, and brought engineer Frank Underwood of Underwood Engineering to discuss with selectmen the possibility of working with Salem in the future to connect their sewer lines with the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District in Lawrence. Dubay said this is something the town should look into before deciding to have the DOT install the conduit.

“We know that there is a connection possibly to Salem. We know that there is a potential tax base there that could benefit from that, but we don’t know a lot behind it,” said Dubay.

According to Underwood, who worked on Salem’s proposed plant expansion in the 1970s, said the agreement between Salem and Lawrence at that time left it open for Windham to possibly connect as well. While doing the study, it was found that expanding Salem’s plant would not be a total solution. Instead, the town decided to connect with Lawrence. At the time, Underwood said, the Lawrence plant was running at less than half of their total capacity.

“Even back in the ’70s, you guys may not have known about it, but there was a study that took a look at regionalization,” Underwood told selectmen. “Salem used that study as the basis to design their advanced treatment plant.”

The agreement between Salem and Lawrence specified lands along the Spicket River watershed, and Salem signed on for 5 million gallons per day worth of capacity. The study concluded their flows would be at about 3.6 million per day, but knowing the Lawrence plant had a total of 5 million available, they signed the agreement for the extra capacity.

According to Underwood, the wording of the agreement, in which Cobbetts Pond, Canobie Lake and Shadow Lake were mentioned, there is about 300,000 gallons worth of capacity factored into the 3.6 million flow calculation that Windham could potentially tap into.

Selectmen Charles McMahon said he would go to Salem on Tuesday, Sept. 16, on a fact-finding mission to explore this as an option.

Underwood said Salem is currently in the design process for phase two of the sewer system on Canobie Lake. Half of the lake is in Salem, and half is in Windham. It would be an ideal time to pursue such a municipal agreement with Salem, he said.

If Windham did go forward and connect sewer lines in that part of town to the Lawrence lines through Salem, the town could qualify for grants associated with protecting the water bodies in that area.

Underwood suggested the board examine the study for themselves, find any information the state may have on the subject and look at their master plan again to see where the need for the conduits really is, and then decide where they should go, and whether a sewer agreement with Salem would work.

“You do concept planning. The idea is that you’ve got enough information where you can actually develop a framework where you can start on a fact-finding approach,” Underwood said.

The board decided to begin studying the project, saying they would look for the money from CTAP funds and would also explore whether the DOT would be willing to fund it.