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Lakeville Board of Health approves septic variances for 4 Court Circle with conditions
Summary
The Lakeville Board of Health granted variances to allow a replacement septic system at 4 Court Circle in a surface-water protection zone, with set minimum setbacks and an inspection of a pool‑house plumbing connection required.
The Lakeville Board of Health on Sept. 17 approved variances to allow a replacement septic system at 4 Court Circle despite the lot lying inside a surface-water protection zone.
The board granted the property owners permission to replace the existing system with an aggregate-free infiltrator leach field and a new two-compartment septic tank, with conditions specifying the tank be no closer than 85 feet to the pond and the leaching field no closer than 135 feet. The board also waived the usual requirement for multiple test holes, accepting the single test hole performed, and required a Board agent to inspect plumbing in the pool‑house above the garage to verify how it connects to the primary system.
Jay McKinnon of Schneider, Davigan, and Leoni represented the applicants, Richard and Deborah Hanson, and described the proposal as a replacement of a working system. “The title 5 had a conditional pass...What needed to be replaced was a deteriorating d box. The d box was replaced, and, the COC was, approved by the board of health also in July 2024,” McKinnon said. He told the board the owners want a newer system for the dwelling and that a new two‑compartment septic tank would be installed in roughly the same location as the existing tank but rotated 90 degrees.
Board members emphasized verification of plumbing associated with a pool house above a garage that contains a sink and bathroom fixtures. Board agent Ed said the pool house discharges to the house via an ejector/grinder pump that lifts wastewater into the building sewer, and the board required the agent to confirm the connection and clarify whether bedroom use or other water fixtures would affect the permitted three-bedroom status. The motion of approval mandated agent inspection of the room over the garage to verify how “that plumbing gets out to the septic system.”
The variance grant included: (1) acceptance of a single test pit rather than the typical multiple test pits; (2) a minimum setback of 85 feet for the septic tank; (3) a minimum setback of 135 feet for the leach field; and (4) an on-site inspection of the pool‑house plumbing by the board’s agent. The board voted in favor by voice; no public comments were recorded on the item.
Why it matters: the lot is in a surface‑water protection zone (Zone A); variances change the standard separations intended to protect Long Pond and local drinking water. The board’s conditional approval seeks to balance system replacement for a sale with on-site verification to limit risk to the reservoir.
The applicants left cards with the board after the vote and the board closed the item with the stated inspection conditions.
