After receiving a notice of noncompliance from the state confirming that treated effluent is seeping to the surface at Ocean Park, the Oak Bluffs wastewater commission earlier this month voted to ban all new hookups to the town sewer system until the cause of the effluent problems is identified.

The wastewater commission on Nov. 14 voted unanimously to impose a moratorium on all new sewer connections in town, including those already authorized but not yet completed. Wastewater superintendent Joseph Alosso sent a letter earlier this month to town administrator Michael Dutton explaining the decision.

The wastewater commission recently voted to hire the engineering firm of Stearns and Wheler to begin working on a plan to fix the effluent problem at Ocean Park. Last week selectmen agreed to place an article on a special town meeting warrant set for next month asking for $250,000 to be taken from the wastewater retained earnings account to investigate the problem.

A portion of the money will likely go toward relocating several new leaching fields at a new site adjacent to the town wastewater plant commonly known as the Leonardo property. The engineering firm is expected to perform groundwater modeling and begin design and permitting work to place additional leaching fields at the new location.

The move is seen as a first step in moving some or all of the leaching beds now buried under Ocean Park.

The wastewater commission will host a public meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. at town hall to discuss the sewer moratorium, the problems at Ocean Park and the upcoming article.

Selectman Kerry Scott has been critical of the wastewater article.

Ms. Scott said she was reluctant to authorize the money until the wastewater department explains better how the money will be spent.

“This article only asks if people want to spend $250,000 for investigative work — to me that raises more questions than it answers. We are coming off a four-night annual town meeting because people had so many questions about what was being presented. We are talking about a major change here, one that raises several questions,” she said, adding:

“Will Ocean Park have to be dug up? Will the money be used more for the new leaching fields at [the Leonardo property], or for repairs at Ocean Park? Don’t get me wrong. I want this work to move forward. But I think we need more answers. The voters expect a certain level of detail when it comes to this type of spending.”

Mr. Alosso said the wastewater commission has taken a proactive approach to addressing the problems at Ocean Park, and said he personally requested the state to issue the notice of noncompliance in order to expedite repairs to the system.

“We’ve already made a big investment in Ocean Park. What will probably happen is we will keep Ocean Park as the primary leaching area, and then develop a secondary area [for the effluent beds],” he said.

Mr. Alosso said he hopes to have the problems at the park resolved by next summer.