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Select Board approves septic waiver for 8 Fish Road despite one dissent
Summary
The Windham Select Board, sitting as the Board of Health, approved a waiver allowing a new concentrated infiltration septic system at 8 Fish Road with a reduced separation to the neighboring well (about 60 feet), voting 4–1 after the applicant said the proposed system would be cleaner and maintenance is required.
The Windham Select Board, acting as the Board of Health on June 1, approved a waiver to allow a concentrated infiltration septic system at 8 Fish Road despite the proposed septic-to-well separation being about 60 feet rather than the 75 feet called for in town regulations.
Joseph Maynard of Benchmark LLC, representing the applicant, told the Board the existing septic predates the current well and that the proposal uses a ‘‘clean solutions’’ system that produces effluent that is ‘‘much cleaner’’ than an uncontained system. Maynard said the system would follow a maintenance schedule (standardly two years; sometimes three for seasonal homes) and that the tank currently sits on the property due to a company issue rather than permitting problems. He also said the septic appears to be under the patio and that moving equipment on the lot to achieve a 75‑foot separation would be infeasible.
Chairman Ross McLeod asked for the scientific justification for a reduced separation, and Maynard explained that most biological breakdown occurs inside the tank and that the proposed system concentrates infiltration, reducing external contamination risk. The Board voted to approve a waiver from Section 102.2 of Windham’s Sewage and Waste Disposal System Regulations (WIN 2:06:22:06). The vote was 4–1, with Select Board member Roger Hohenberger opposed; Hohenberger said he ‘‘appreciates the better system but thinks there is a better location.’’
The approval is limited to the waiver requested; no change to year‑round occupancy was proposed and the applicant stated the property will remain seasonal. The Board recessed and reconvened the Select Board after the BOH action.
What happens next: the waiver was approved by vote; any required permitting follow‑up or recorded conditions will be processed through the Town’s usual building and health permitting channels.
