COLRAIN — A study is underway to find affordable wastewater treatment solutions for the Colrain Sewer District.

The sewer district has awarded a contract to Westfield environmental engineering firm Wright-Pierce to develop next steps for treating the district’s waste following the closing of Barnhardt Manufacturing on Main Road.

In December 2022 the company announced it would be closing the Colrain cotton purifying plant due to financial constraints and uncontrollable costs stemming from a $1.5 million settlement after a sulphuric acid leak from the plant reported killed more than 270,000 fish. The company planned to sell the facility, however, scheduled auctions of the property were eventually canceled.

The announcement sparked questions about what would happen to the 26 residences in Griswoldville Village, a historic neighborhood created to house plant workers. The company had its own wastewater treatment plant for the 21 homes, including a few duplexes, on Church, High and Griswoldville streets and Main Road at no cost to residents.

Residents then called for the return of the Colrain Sewer District Commission, a largely defunct independent entity created by an October 1997 legislative act empowering residents to manage their own wastewater. The district convened, elected a new sewer commissioner and began working on solutions.

The district was awarded a $500,000 grant through the Massachusetts Rural Development Fund (MRDF) to conduct an engineering and feasibility study that will identify a long-term solution, as well as fund short-term wastewater treatment. To aid in managing the grant and the sewer study, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments was enlisted.

FRCOG Director of Planning Jessica Atwood said the contract was awarded in July to Wright-Pierce, the only bidder. The contract came in under budget at $171,000, said Colrain Sewer District Commission Chair Patrick Geary.

Atwood said the study would be complete by next June, and in fall 2025 the firm would present its findings and potential solutions to the commission. A public information session will be held around that time as well.

Lewis Barnhardt said the company’s plans have not changed and still intends to sell the property. Barnhardt will support the sewer district in searching for long-term waste management solutions, and said the company has offered to donate land from the manufacturing facility to the sewer district in order to construct a treatment facility, but at this time no decisions have been made.

Geary said that Barnhardt had been “much more helpful recently than previously,” and the donation offer was appreciated. Once the study is complete, more will be known about what wastewater treatment options will be effective and where it should occur.

Geary said he could not estimate a timeline for the implementation of a long-term solution and the district would need to review options and costs before planning can begin.

“We gotta see what our options are and then discuss and vote,” he said.

The MRDF grant will cover the study and the transportation of the district’s waste until a long-term solution is found. Funding for the implementation of the long-term solution was not included, so once the study is complete, the district will have to reevaluate its budget and seek other funding sources.

In the meantime, waste from the homes is being pumped and transported to a treatment facility in Montague for about $10,000 a month.

“Right now this is the only option,” Geary said.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or at mschofield@recorder.com