Southborough Board of Health conditionally approves 50-foot septic setback variance for 25 Park Street

The Southborough Board of Health on Oct. 7 conditionally approved a local upgrade variance allowing a proposed soil absorption system at 25 Park Street to be sited about 50 feet from an existing subsurface drain that ultimately connects to the Sudbury Reservoir.

The board’s decision matters because state Title 5 standards normally require a 100-foot setback from subsurface drains serving surface-water supplies; the applicant sought a narrower setback on the basis that the existing cesspool provides no treatment and the proposed system would meet current design standards and include an impervious barrier.

Peter Bemis, the applicant’s presenter, said the existing cesspool is “quite old” and that the property’s configuration and soil conditions left no practical alternative location for a compliant leaching area. Bemis said the drain “daylights” northwest of the site and that the closest design point on his plan is…