Commission approves emergency certification after Heritage Village sewer overflow

The Gardner Conservation Commission approved an emergency certification after a private sewer line overflowed at Heritage Village on March 27, staff said.

Staff described responding to notifications from the water department and board of health, and arriving on site to find lime spread and hay bales placed to keep solids out of nearby wetlands and resource areas. Justin reported the immediate cause was a contractor-cleared blockage of materials not intended for disposal down a household drain; the private property owner is responsible for final cleanup.

Justin told the commission he visited the site after cleanup work and found there remained a “little bit of staining, but there are no solids or anything like that.” He said some clouded water had reached an adjacent swale but there were “no major discharges themselves into the actual waterways.”

The commission moved and approved the emergency certification at the meeting. Members said the certification allows immediate access and remediation work needed to protect wetlands while the private party completes cleanup and disposal.

The commission’s vote to approve the emergency certification was a voice vote recorded as “Aye.”