The Warwick Sewer Authority (WSA) moved towards finalizing a consent agreement with the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) on Thursday that will mandate the authority improve the wastewater treatment plant.

The improvements are intended to reduce pollution in the Pawtuxet River and Narragansett Bay.

The improvements, aimed at improving the water quality of the Pawtuxet River and Narragansett Bay, are expected to be costly for ratepayers – costing a collective $14 million to upgrade the plant, plus an additional $1 million per year in operational expenses.

The average water user would see their bill increase by approximately $130 per year.

In a closed-door executive session held before the meeting began with Mayor Scott Avedisian present, the board unanimously decided to move forward with signing a consent agreement.

The board also decided to send the consent agreement to the city council for approval. WSA Executive Director Janine Burke said the DEM regulations require the “city” to approve the agreement, which the WSA interpreted as signifying a need for city council affirmation.

There was little discussion on the topic during the open meeting, but board member Aaron Guckian asked Burke to explain the rationale behind the decision for the benefit of the public – five or six Warwick residents – in attendance.

Burke said the city could have appealed the DEM mandates and brought the issue to court, but said that in all likelihood, the state would have prevailed. Cranston and the town of West Warwick have already signed onto the agreement, which would have worked against the city’s position, Burke said.

In the end, the city would have spent an estimated $500,000 to $750,000 in legal and consulting fees, likely lost, and “we would’ve been right back in the same situation,” said Burke.

Burke also said funding the legal expenses would have been challenging to the WSA.

“We wouldn’t be able to borrow the money from the state in order to sue the state,” said Burke.

Avedisian seemed to agree.

“They really don’t have much of a choice,” said Avedisian, referring to the WSA.

The issue centers on the plant’s discharge of effluent into the Pawtuxet River. The DEM wants the WSA to agree to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus, which the DEM says pollutes the waters. Under the draft, the discharge of nitrogen would drop from the current allowable level of 10 milligrams per liter to 8. The drop in phosphorus would be from one to .1 milligrams per liter.

Both Burke and Avedisian have previously questioned whether a better use of scarce sewer ratepayer dollars would be towards extending the sewer line into more neighborhoods.

Whether or not similar standards have been required from other wastewater treatment plants in Rhode Island, or if DEM has conducted an analysis as to whether it would be more environmentally beneficial to extend the sewer line remain open questions, as the DEM has refused to comment on the issue until its been agreed upon.