Plant could cost taxpayers millions

CHESHIRE, Conn. (WTNH) -- Cheshire is going to war with the state Correction Department and the legal battle could have a major impact on some taxpayers.

Counting the prisoners and staff, there are about 3,000 people at the sprawling state prison complex in Cheshire. It's a mostly self-contained facility with an enormous laundry operation, discharging thousands of gallons of waste water and sewage every day.

However, it is the town of Cheshire that must treat all that waste at the aging treatment plant on the other side of town.

3.5 million gallons of waste water come through the pumps every day and it's estimated that 20 to 25 percent of it comes from the Cheshire prison complex.

Now over capacity, the treatment plant must be upgraded at a cost to the town of over $30 million and the town has taken the Connecticut Department of Correction to court because it can't get them to pay their fair share of the upgrade. leaving the rest of Cheshire's taxpayers on the hook.

"If they don't pay for 20 percent of the upgrade, then our taxpayers pay for 100 percent of the upgrade," explained Michael Milone, Town Manager.

The town says the prison's waste water discharge keeps increasing and that other prison host towns in the state have been given this assistance to upgrade their treatment plants.

"Other prison towns have that provision in their contracts, our contract goes back to 1990, it doesn't have that provision and we've been asking since September of 2006." said Milone.

The Correction Department won't comment on the case and the Attorney General's office said today that they will only respond in court.

The waste water just keeps on coming.