Sewer connections have never been a more popular topic of conversation.

Thursday afternoon Kevin Brander, chief of the wastewater section for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and Eric Worrall, deputy regional director of the Massachusetts DEP’s northeast division, presided over a standing-room-only public hearing crowd in the Town Building’s Large Hearing Room.

The topic: The sewer connection permit for the proposed Wayland Town Center.

Specifically, the hearing was called in response to the appeal of residents who wanted a second opportunity to comment on the sewer permit request of Twenty Wayland, the developer of Wayland Town Center. The first period for public comment closed on March 28, 2011, but due to demand, the May 19 public hearing was scheduled and the public comment opportunity was extended to May 20.

Twenty Wayland applied for the sewer connection permit on Nov. 11, 2010, and Wayland’s Wastewater Management Chair Fred Knight, signed that he recommended approval of the permit on Nov. 12. It now rests in the hands of the state DEP.

Nearly 20 people took the mic during the public hearing to express their thoughts about the requested sewer connection permit. Many expressed reservations about the situation, several expressed their support and a few simply posed questions or recommendations.

Among those who posed recommendations was resident Mike Lowery who opened the hearing by recommending that the Massachusetts DEP make “Water reuse … a condition of the permit.” Lowery said his recommendation would allow the Town Center project to move forward, but would also make the Town Center compatible with DEP’s water reuse policy that he said allows water to be reused for golf course and landscape irrigation, toilet flushing and aquifer recharging.

Tom Sciacca took to podium primarily with questions that he learned would go unanswered due to the format of the hearing.

“I’m rather disappointed in the format of this meeting because I have questions, and I was hoping to have some interactions and get some answers,” Sciacca said.

Though he didn’t receive answers, Sciacca did ponder aloud whether the proposed wastewater management plant to be built at the site would be able to accommodate the wastewater created by the abundance of restaurants proposed for the first phase of the project.

Linda Segal also posed questions, though hers went more to the permitting process than the functionality of the project.

“I don’t believe the [Wayland wastewater] commission really understood what was in this application,” Segal said, explaining that there are differing versions of the application.

Throughout the hearing, Brander and Worrall took notes, but did not respond to any comments, as the format of the hearing was public comment only.

Though there were plenty of concerns raised, residents did speak up in favor of the Town Center project as well.

“One of the signs of an unhealthy community is large areas like this remaining vacant,” said resident Lewis Russell, a proprietor of Russell’s Garden Center, which is located across Boston Post Road from the Town Center site. “This area needs to go forward again. Whatever the details, I hope it’s worked out quickly and we can move forward again.”

William Sterling agreed, calling Wayland Town Center an “essential ingredient to the town.”

And Siobahn Zane earned the distinction of being the only person to earn applause for her comments.

“I think there is kind of an unrepresented majority in this town who support this project,” Zane said, turning to speak to the crowd rather than the DEP representatives. “Let’s get the services that we need. Let’s get the things that we voted for.”

Diana Humphrey, however, said she believes the project has been “greatly modified” from the plan voted on and approved by the Town in 2006.

The comments from the hearing were recorded and will be combined with the comments received during the first period of public comment that ended on March 28.

The final decision of whether to approve the sewer connection permit will be posted here.