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Lakeville Board of Health approves septic upgrade, variances for 31 Pilgrim Road with H‑20 tank and two‑bedroom deed restriction
Summary
The Town of Lakeville Board of Health approved local upgrade variances and a Presby treatment system for 31 Pilgrim Road, adding an H‑20 rated tank requirement and a two‑bedroom deed restriction; the board noted tight lot size, nearby wells and proximity to Long Pond.
On March 6, 2019, the Town of Lakeville Board of Health approved local upgrade variances to allow installation of a Presby soil absorption system at 31 Pilgrim Road, authorizing several setback reductions and adding a requirement that the owner install an H‑20 rated septic tank and record a two‑bedroom deed restriction.
The proposal, presented by Jason Youngquist of Outback Engineering, called for replacing a front-yard cesspool with a new Presby system in the backyard to gain better treatment and to avoid poor soils and a high water table near the front of the lot. "We're here to upgrade separate system at 31 Pilgrim Road. So we're proposing to replace the existing... with a new Presby system in the backyard," Youngquist said.
The property is a small, roughly 7,000‑square‑foot lot and required several local variances, including a reduction of the setback between the proposed system and a crawl space from 20 feet to 15 feet, and a reduction of the required separation from a well from 100 feet to 50 feet for an abutting well (the abutting well sits about 53 feet from the proposed system; the applicant said their planned new well would be about 77 feet away). The applicant also requested a reduction of the setback to Long Pond from 400 feet to 250 feet to allow use of a sieve test instead of a standard perc test.
Board members discussed tank sizing and construction. The applicant noted the septic tank as drawn was 1,500 gallons, with the option to increase to a 2,000‑gallon configuration using a 15‑and‑5 compartment arrangement. A board member asked for an H‑20 specification for the tank because of the site's groundwater conditions; the board agreed to add the H‑20 requirement and to note it on the plan. "And it is a Presby, which is considered a treatment... we're going with the Presby system to get some better treatment," Youngquist said.
The board also discussed foundation type for a planned rear addition and how that affects setback calculations. The applicant said the addition would match the existing house and remain on solid piers ("sauna tubes"/solid tubes), which affects allowed clearances; the board agreed that if the addition remains on those tubes the applicant may maintain the 15‑foot component setback the applicant requested.
A motion to approve the septic repair and six local upgrade variances, with the amended inclusion of a seventh local variance required under a Lakeville Board of Health rule (the well's proximity to the property line), plus the H‑20 tank requirement and a two‑bedroom deed restriction, carried on a voice vote. The board directed that the H‑20 requirement and other details be shown on the plan.
The applicant said abutters, the City of Taunton and two water departments had been notified. The board recorded no named roll call in the transcript; the outcome is recorded as approved by voice vote.
The board instructed staff to note the H‑20 tank and the local variances on the plan before final signoff. No implementation date was specified in the meeting record.
