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Yarmouth board orders Title 5 inspection for Wilson cranberry bog; motion passes 4-1
Summary
After testimony from property co-owners and a health-staff report of an indoor shower and washer near a cranberry bog, the Board of Health voted 4-1 to require a certified Title 5 inspection within 10 days to determine where graywater is discharging.
The Yarmouth Board of Health voted 4-1 on Dec. 2 to require a certified Title 5 inspection of the septic/graywater conditions at the barn servicing the Mellow/Wilson cranberry bog at 16 Denver Drive.
Health staff said an inspection request followed observations that a shower and a washer hookup in a barn were discharging graywater near a cranberry bog; staff and the health agent, Barry Lewis, said there are no engineering records or an as-built plan on file and asked for a Title 5 inspector to locate where graywater is leaching. Lewis told the board a certified Title 5 inspector should report within 30 days of inspection, but the board motion set a 10-day window for scheduling the inspection and obtaining results to inform next steps.
Co-owners Brian Wilson and Steven Wilson told the board the indoor rinse area and washer are "very seldom used" and compared the facility to an outdoor rinse; they said a porta-potty is used for sanitary needs and that they had not installed a permanent septic system. Manager Chris Wilson said he had offered to remove the washing machine if it proved problematic. The health agent said that regardless of frequency, graywater discharge must be documented so the board can determine whether a Title 5 system is required.
A board member moved that the owners arrange for a certified Title 5 inspection within 10 days to document where the graywater from the shower and washing machine is going; a second followed and the motion carried by voice vote with a 4-1 tally. Board members discussed payment responsibility for the inspection and said the property owners are ultimately responsible for arranging and paying for the service; staff agreed to provide a list of certified Title 5 inspectors to the owners but said the health office cannot recommend a specific contractor.
The board also discussed the option that the owners could dismantle the shower and washing machine before or instead of moving forward with an inspection; staff said removal could eliminate the need for an engineered system, but the board emphasized that a certified inspection is the baseline step to determine whether a system is present and whether additional enforcement or corrective work is required.
The board asked that the inspector's report be submitted to the health office and said staff or the agent could witness the inspection if the owners requested it. If the inspection confirms a failed or absent system and corrective work is required, the board indicated the next steps could include engineering work, a perk test, or ordering installation of a compliant system and, if unresolved, referral to housing or district court.
Outcome: Motion passed 4-1; next procedural step is a certified Title 5 inspection to be scheduled by the property owners within 10 days and a report to be filed with the health department.
