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Neighbor raises well-contamination concern after Blackstone board reviews septic setback variance for 159 Lake Shore Drive
Summary
The Town of Blackstone Board of Health reviewed a variance request for a septic system at 159 Lake Shore Drive after staff said the lot constraints require reduced setbacks; a nearby homeowner said her well is about 51–52 feet downhill from the proposed system and asked what guarantees exist against contamination. The board scheduled a follow-up review on Jan. 7.
The Town of Blackstone Board of Health reviewed a variance request for setbacks at 159 Lake Shore Drive and scheduled a follow-up review after a nearby resident raised water-supply concerns.
Health staff said the town’s reviewer, Steve Donatelli, approved the variance request largely because of the lot’s small size and the close location of the existing on-site systems. The owner (identified in the meeting only as “Mr. Erickson”) was present for the discussion.
Neighbor Linda Dillon, who gave her address as 8 Marcel Lane, told the board her drilled well sits at the bottom of the hill below the proposed septic location and said it is about 51 feet from the proposed system. “What guarantees do I have that it's not gonna contaminate my well?” she asked.
Margaret, the septic-system designer on the phone, said the design survey located the well and measured it at about 52 feet from the proposed septic. She said the proposed system is substantially different from the existing cesspool (which was described at roughly 55 feet from the neighbor’s well) and would be a shallower, engineered system with high-capacity trenches and infiltrators; the project is sized for a three-bedroom house.
Meeting participants noted the meeting transcript’s exchange that the DEP (as cited by staff during the discussion) allows setbacks as small as 50 feet in some circumstances. Board members and staff did not finalize the variance that day; instead they agreed to have the septic designer (Margaret) and reviewer (Steve Donatelli) bring the plans to the board’s next meeting on Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. for a detailed review and possible vote.
The board also suggested providing the neighbor with a copy of the plan and discussed the option of a baseline well test to establish current water quality before construction if the neighbor requests it.
The follow-up meeting will allow board members to view the plan in person and hear from the designer and reviewer before taking any formal action.
