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Bourne board permits continued use of passing septic at 66 Jefferson Road after spreadsheet correction
Summary
The board allowed continued use of a passing Title 5 septic system for an interior addition at 66 Jefferson Road after an updated worksheet resolved an apparent increase in calculated nitrogen loading.
The Bourne Board of Health voted June 10 to permit continued use of a passing Title 5 septic system for a proposed interior addition at 66 Jefferson Road, concluding the project does not increase nitrogen loading after staff identified and corrected a spreadsheet error.
Lucas Amato of Bracken Engineering said the work — largely interior reconfiguration including a dormer, a relocated staircase and repurposing a bedroom into an office — does not change the three‑bedroom count and therefore should not trigger a requirement for upgraded nitrogen‑removal technology. "They are requesting to maintain their existing septic system with a passing Title 5 operating as it should," Amato said.
Board members asked for clarification about the conditional pass status and percent‑increase triggers that would require retrofitting. Staff explained the system had a conditional pass because a tank crack discovered on inspection in March was repaired and resealed under permit in May, after which the system passed. One member noted the board's worksheet threshold requires nitrogen removal when a project increases habitable space by 25% or more; the presenter said the project's increase is about 16% and does not reach that trigger.
At one point, the proposed nitrogen‑loading figure in the submitted worksheet rose unexpectedly from 1.42 to 15.75 (units in the worksheet), which prompted further review. Amato said the discrepancy was caused by an erroneous change to the impervious‑area field in the spreadsheet and provided an updated worksheet showing no increase in nitrogen loading. Katie, a board staff member, said the corrected figures resolved the concern.
A member moved to accept continued use of the existing septic system for the proposed addition at 66 Jefferson Road; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
The board recorded no roll‑call tallies in the transcript. Staff noted that were the property to fail in the future, any required replacement would need to meet current Title 5 and local standards, including best‑available nitrogen‑removal technology if applicable.
