Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Floodplain Septic topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves septic replacement at 3 Bridge Street after engineer agrees to flood‑impact letter
Summary
Facing limited options to avoid floodplain fill, the commission approved a replacement septic system at 3 Bridge Street after the engineer agreed to provide a stamped letter demonstrating the project will not increase flood elevations; commissioners emphasized removal of a failing cesspit as mitigation.
The Southborough Conservation Commission on Sept. 11 approved an order of conditions for a septic replacement at 3 Bridge Street, contingent on the project engineer supplying a stamped letter certifying that the proposed fill will not increase the flood elevation in the affected floodplain by more than 0.01 foot.
Engineer David Schofield explained the site is extremely tight: he moved the system as far landward as possible, reduced the leaching area by about 40 percent, selected the minimum‑size tank (1,500 gallons) and proposed a subsurface impermeable barrier to limit grading. Schofield said the work still requires approximately 22 cubic yards of fill within the floodplain for tank and leach field elevations and asked the commission for compensatory‑storage relief.
Commissioners acknowledged the constraints and said the environmental mitigation — replacing a cesspit that previously discharged near the Sudbury River with a Title 5‑compliant system — weighed heavily in favor of approval. The commission unanimously agreed it would allow a waiver of compensatory storage provided the engineer submits a stamped certification showing flood elevations will not increase by more than 0.01 foot. Staff also included standard special conditions and required verifications before work begins.
The project was approved after the commission closed the hearing and voted to issue an order of conditions with the added requirement for the engineer’s flood‑impact affirmation. The commission noted that removal of the failing septic pit is significant mitigation given the system’s proximity to the Sudbury River.
The applicant must supply the flood‑impact certification and obtain any Board of Health approvals before construction may start.
