HARTFORD — The state Attorney General’s Office has contacted the town about safety violations at the Quechee Wastewater Facility, months after state safety inspectors cited the plant for nine serious hazards.
The Office’s letter was mentioned in the Hartford Selectboard’s Sept. 29 meeting packet.
At the time, town staff was drafting a response and coordinating a meeting with the Department of Environmental Conservation and the AG’s office.
Two weeks later, in the Oct. 13 packet, the significant activities report stated town staff had met with the AG’s office and “will be providing a letter regarding the past violations and the corrective actions taken.”
JD Hawks, a town spokesperson, declined to share the original violation notice and the town’s response. He noted that the AG letterhead specifically refers to the letter and its contents as “confidential.”
On Oct. 2, Haley Sommer, senior advisor to the attorney general, told the Valley News by email that the communications are confidential, and did not respond to further inquiries.
Vermont’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or VOSHA, opened a new inspection at the facility Oct. 2 in response to a safety complaint. The inspection is listed as partial in scope, meaning it is limited to a specific area, and the case remains open.
It’s at least the third time this year the town has faced scrutiny over the facility, alongside the April safety citations and the new VOSHA complaint. Neither Hawks nor Sommer said whether the AG’s letter relates to either safety case.
In April, VOSHA manager Anna Hill formally notified the town of nine serious safety violations at the facility at 142 Izzo Place in Quechee, found during an October 2025 visit.
The violations included a slip-and-fall hazard, an elevated surface without guardrails, a failing gas warning system, exposed cords and a lack of confined-space permitting and signage, along with a call for increased employee safety training.
Fines originally totaled nearly $64,000, to be paid out of the Quechee wastewater budget, which is funded primarily by the system’s 1,520 ratepayers, Public Works Director Todd Law told the Valley News in April.
After notification, the town improved the facility, including eliminating the source of the slip-and-fall hazard, installing guardrails for the elevated surface, installing a temporary gas detection system, adding new signage and continuing efforts to increase safety training and update manuals.
As a result, fines decreased by about 40% to about $38,000. The inspection detail indicates that the visit was by referral and the case closed in July.
OSHA online establishment search records dating back to 1972 show that, aside from the 2025 visit and this year’s visit, there have been no other inspections of the facility.
Any citations will be posted 30 days after the town receives them, according to the inspection page.
Town manager Gail Ostrout did not respond to a Thursday morning comment request by phone and email.
