Pumping Station Back on Line By Mid-Feb

Director Gino Cresta hopes to have the town sewer system off the temporary bypass and returned to the permanent pumps and motors at the Humphrey Street station by the middle of next month.

Swampscott pumped wastewater into treatment plant until the basement was dry and a sewer bypass was installed.

The temporary system remains in operation while contractors rebuild two pumps and motors at the station, the director said.

The town's insurance is paying for the station's interior costs — rebuilding the pumps and motors, he said.

But the insurance company has only agreed to pay up to $125,000 for the external costs associated with the September system failure.

Lawyers for the town and the insurance company are handling the matter, the director said.

The total external costs will include fees for hauling the container trucks of wastewater to the treatment plant, rental of the two temporary pumps and 18-inch bypass pipe and overtime costs for monitoring the bypass.

The pumps and pipe rental and overtime costs come to about $15,000 per week, Cresta said.

The total of the external cost was not immediately available.

The 24/7 monitoring is both required by town insurance and necessary because a malfunction could result in raw sewage being spilled.