Court Order on Sewage May Delay Construction of DeWolfe St. Housing

A federal court order imposing a ban on new sewer permits in the region will delay construction of at least three Harvard projects, including a student and faculty housing complex, University officials said yesterday.

Harvard spokesperson Marilyn L. O'Connell said that initial estimates indicate that the ban may last seven to eight months, leaving the University with a problem in organizing housing for next fall.

The University had hoped that construction on the DeWolfe Street housing complex, which is planned to house junior faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, would be completed by June and ready for occupation by September.

But because of the ban, O'Connell said, "We can't plan now for who can live there in September."

House officials in Dunster, Mather, Eliot, Kirkland, Winthrop and Quincy, however, are continuing to assign undergraduate students to the housing complex for next year.

In addition to the DeWolfe Street housing complex, the ban will immediately affect at least two other major projects: an inn under construction at the former Gulf Station site at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Harvard St., and the new headquarters of the Division of Continuing Education at 51 Brattle Street.

Some smaller projects may be delayed as well, O'Connell said.

The ban, which was issued by U.S. District Court Judge A. David Mazzone, restricts sewer extension permits, new connections and any increases in discharge in those systems controlled by the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA).

According to the court order, dated February 25, 1991, "the MWRA shall not...issue permits for, or otherwise approve, new connections to the Sewage System."

Mazzone implemented the ban in connection with the effort to clean up Boston Harbor, which he is currently overseeing. The court order is meant to force the state and the MWRA to agree on a site to use as a sludge landfill as part of the harbor cleanup.

The court order states that the ban will remain in effect until the state and the MWRA reach an agreement.

O'Connell said the University understands the reasoning behind the ban but hopes the problem will be solved quickly.

"We've tried to let the state know that we are impacted and we wish them well in resolving this problem," she said. "All we can do is wait.