WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Forever chemicals are the source of a protracted debate for the Select Board.

 

Out of 15 fiscal articles on the warrant for the annual town meeting in May, the board last Monday voted to recommend passage of 14.

 

It delayed its decision on Article 5, which concerns the budget for the sewer department, more specifically the town's share of operating costs for the Hoosac Water Quality District.

 

Some members of the community, including a member of the Select Board, say the district is choosing a course of action that is at odds with the environmental principles that the town espouses.

 

The HWQD is a 55-year-old intermunicipal entity shared by Williamstown and the city of North Adams.

 

Residents of both communities on public sewer service send their wastewater to a treatment facility in Williamstown off Simonds Road (Route 7).

 

The facility cleans and treats the wastewater and discharges it into the nearby Hoosic River.