Board denies request to reduce septic design flow for 2 and 4 Blueberry Drive; requires tank upgrade if constructed

Joseph Sander of Allen Majors Associates presented a proposal to combine and replace septic systems serving 2 and 4 Blueberry Drive and asked the Board of Health to accept reduced water-usage records as the basis for a lower design flow for the proposed septic system.

Sander said meter records show about 50 gallons per day per unit for the elderly-occupied properties and that using those records would yield a design flow of roughly 307 gallons per building (after the standard 200% allowance noted in guidance) and about 1,200 gallons per day for the combined system. He told the board the owner wanted to combine two small elderly-occupancy buildings to capture an economy of scale and proactively replace aging systems.

Board members reviewed Title 5 language (310 CMR 15.203) and expressed concerns about relying on meter records to substantially reduce the standard design flows for multi-unit or senior-occupancy facilities. One board member said the neighborhood had a history of system failures and expressed concern that undersizing would shorten system life. The board also reviewed subsurface test pits and noted an area of deep fill and inconsistent soils; the applicant said test pits showed four feet of naturally occurring pervious soil in the proposed placement after walking the field location.

Separately, board staff flagged that a 2,500-gallon septic tank on one property appears to be a single-compartment tank installed in 1989; under local practice a two-compartment 3,000-gallon tank would be required to meet current flows and Title 5 expectations if the combined system proceeds.

Outcome: A board member moved to deny the waiver to reduce the design flow to the requested lower rate (motion language referenced a reduction to 75 gallons per day in the motion record), the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The board advised the applicant that, if the applicant returns with a revised plan, the plan should show the relocated field that avoids fill and utilities and include the required tank replacement and two-compartment configuration as part of any future approval.

Why this matters: The decision preserves Title 5 design-flow standards for multi-unit or elderly-occupancy facilities in Lakeville and prevents a smaller-than-standard field that the board expressed concern could fail earlier than a system sized to Title 5 flows.

Next steps: The applicant may return with a revised plan that relocates the field away from fill, shows the 3,000-gallon two-compartment tank upgrade, and meets standard Title 5 flows if they wish to proceed. The board recorded that the existing system at one of the properties is not currently in failure.