Dorchester County creates Department of Water and Wastewater Services

CAMBRIDGE — Dorchester County is taking back control of its water and sewage systems.

At a County Council meeting on Aug. 20, the council voted in favor of a bill that establishes the Dorchester County Department of Water and Wastewater Services and abolishes the Dorchester County Sanitary District and commission.

The bill also provides for the establishment of an advisory board for the Department of Water and Wastewater Services.

Under the bill, the county council will take on powers and duties related to the new department.

For decades, a volunteer six-member Sanitary District Commission has governed the Dorchester County Sanitary District, which includes the county’s water and sewage systems. The commission has been appointed by the County Council to six-year terms.

The county has worked for the past year to take control of the sanitary district, arguing the county has more resources to manage the services.

At a council meeting in April, two residents came to speak about issues relating to water and sewers, and County Council President Lenny Pfeffer said the sanitary district had grown too large for a voluntary board of members to handle.

Pfeffer asked for the residents’ patience, saying that the county was in the process of taking back control of the water and sewage systems.

At the Aug. 20 meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve the bill that establishes the new department. Council member William Nichols was not present at the meeting and therefore did not vote.