Septic repair for 159 Lakeshore Drive presented; hearing continued to Jan. 15

Margaret Bacon, a civil site engineer representing applicant Brian Harrison, presented a septic repair plan for 159 Lakeshore Drive and said the existing cesspool failed under Title 5. The commission opened the public hearing but could not take final action because MassDEP had not yet issued a file number.

Bacon told the commission she designed a system that places a new septic tank, a pump chamber and three rows of H‑20-rated infiltrators in a tight footprint partly within the property's driveway "so this is all the gravel here anyways" and the installation can be driven over. She said nearby private wells and well‑protection radiuses left only one practical location for the system, and the Board of Health agents had reviewed and approved the final version pending formal filing. "This is for a septic repair for 159 Lakeshore," Bacon said when introducing the plan.

Commissioners and an abutter asked whether smaller chamber systems or alternative layouts were possible and whether garbage disposals would be allowed; Bacon said those options would not fit the lot, the design avoids placing the system inside 50‑foot well radiuses, and the plan prohibits garbage‑disposal units. She also said retaining‑wall repairs and removal of a deteriorated shed near the lake will be performed by hand because heavy equipment cannot reach the shoreline.

The commission recorded that additional DEP filing fees were mailed by certified mail but that the MassDEP lockbox had not yet processed the payment and issued a file number. Because the DEP number was outstanding, the commission left the public hearing open and set a continuation for Jan. 15 at 6:00 PM; Bacon said she expected to join by Zoom and would provide the green cards and any follow‑up documentation before the continuation.

Next procedural step: the hearing will resume on Jan. 15 at 6 PM to review the DEP file number and any outstanding materials.