Health board grants variances for after-the-fact tight tank at 606 Canal Street

The Lawrence Health Department granted multiple variances Sept. 9 to allow an existing tight tank serving 606 Canal Street to remain in place and operate, after an engineer told the department the tank had been installed without required permits. The board approved a reduced tank-size allowance, an after-the-fact installation variance and a requirement to replace the tank’s plastic cover with a cast-iron frame.

The action followed a presentation by Alec Changers of Changers Engineering, who summarized the Title 5 (310 CMR) requirements that ordinarily apply to sewage-tight tanks. Changers said the code requires a tight tank "to be sized at a minimum of 500% of the system's sewage design flow and...in no case be less than 2,000 gallons," but that the existing installation at 606 Canal Street is a 1,000-gallon tank and the parcel is too small to accommodate a…