Residents from the Agawam Beach and Mayflower Ridge neighborhoods packed the Town Hall auditorium Saturday for what turned into a heated discussion about how soon to add sewer service to those areas.

Those neighborhoods are the last of 12 that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in 2000 mandated be sewered by 2024. All 12 neighborhoods are on or near the water, have a history of septic failures, and have groundwater levels too high for continuation of on-site wastewater treatment. The town also completed a $23 million upgrade to the sewer plant in 2005, as mandated by the DEP.

Following a presentation about the project by Michael Guidice, of engineering firm Camp Dresser & McKee, residents questioned why the project needed to be completed now, expressing frustration at what officials estimated could be a $30,000 betterment fee - the amount each household along a new sewer line is required to pay to cover the cost of the extension - for each of the approximately 141 homes involved in the project.

"The Town of Wareham is years ahead of their obligation to the state," said Agawam Beach resident Dave Walton. "It's not imperative that this be done right now."

But Guidice, the Selectmen (in their role as Sewer Commissioners), and Water Pollution Control Facility Director Guy Campinha warned that holding off on the project would likely result in a higher price tag. The state currently has loan funding available for municipalities expanding sewer systems at a low 2-percent interest rate. Residents have 20 years to pay off betterments.

"We can move forward with this and maybe you get a $30,000 bill today, or we can put it off and someone can pay $50,000 or $60,000" down the road, Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue said.

But meeting attendees, citing the difficult economic times, responded by shouting: "Put it off!"

Town officials stressed that the betterment fee, though estimated at $30,000 based on the costs of previous sewer projects, would not be known for sure until the project is completed. The project has not been put out to bid yet, so even preliminary costs are not known.

Adding to the concern of the residents, there is currently no known state funding available to lessen the blow of construction costs, as there was for the town's most recent sewer projects. Selectman Steve Holmes indicated that Town Administrator Mark Andrews has been working with State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) and State Representative Susan Williams Gifford (R-Wareham) to find any possible avenues of funding, however.

"There's a lot of work going on on this side of the table," Holmes said.

The Selectmen voted unanimously Saturday to solicit bids for the project. If the project continues as planned, construction would likely begin this summer.

More meetings on the Agawam Beach and Mayflower Ridge sewer project will be held as bids come in and more information is available.