Lakeville Board of Health asks new owner of 1 Violet Street to abandon contaminated well

The Lakeville Board of Health voted Wednesday to send a letter to the new owner of 1 Violet Street notifying them that the property’s septic system remains in failure because of a contaminated private well and that the well must be abandoned by a licensed well driller to restore compliance.

The action follows remarks from former owner Jacqueline Flintstone, who told the board she paid roughly $10,000 for a Title 5 inspection and related work, and that a recent test showed nitrates at about 15 mg/L in the well. Flintstone said the well pump and associated equipment have been removed and that the house was connected to Town water before the sale two weeks earlier.

Board members said Title 5 requires removal of a contaminated well to pass a septic inspection. A member of the board moved that staff send a letter to the new owner of 1 Violet Street informing them the septic system remains in failure until the existing well is properly abandoned by a licensed well driller; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Flintstone told the board she had photographs and invoices documenting that the pump was removed and that the house was tied into town water on May 22. She also said she received an estimate of about $3,000 to have the well filled in and that she lacked the funds to pay for abandonment before the sale.

A staff member told the board the department had not issued a separate notice to Flintstone because the inspector had indicated the well would be decommissioned and the house tied into town water. The board and staff discussed the process for abandonment and confirmed that proper abandonment must be performed under state guidelines and certified by a licensed well driller.

The motion directs staff to send the new owner a letter stating the well was contaminated with high nitrate levels, explaining that abandonment must be completed with the appropriate permits and a licensed well driller, and offering the town staff as a contact for questions.

The board recorded the vote as a voice vote in favor; names were not entered in the record. The board said staff will follow up with the new owner and accept the documentation Flintstone provided.

Flintstone said she pursued testing and remediation out of concern for future occupants and that she had documentation she could forward to the health department.

The board did not set a timeline in the meeting for completion of abandonment and noted that, under Title 5 and state guidance, properly abandoning a private well requires permitting and certification by a licensed well driller.