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Dennis Board of Health approves multiple septic variances, requires pit removal and hookup conditions
Summary
The board approved variances for several Dennis properties, requiring upgraded treatment or replacement of leaching pits, and included conditions that properties connect to sewer when hookups are available and that contingency measures (e.g., tight tanks) apply if systems fail.
The Dennis Board of Health on its December meeting approved a series of septic-system variances for properties across town, adding conditions intended to protect environmentally sensitive areas and to require sewer hookups when municipal service becomes available.
Chris Anderson, an engineer with Merrill Engineers and Land Surveyors, presented the variance for 201 C Street East and described the planned upgrades: "we have incorporated, an IA denitrification system, as well as a UV disinfection unit" and a proposed Advantex AX20 unit to replace the existing 1,500-gallon septic tank and reduce nitrogen loading from about 10 parts per million to 5 parts per million. Board members raised concern about leaving an existing leaching pit in place; a committee member moved to approve the variance "as printed in memorandum dated 12/03/2024" with a first condition that the leach pit be removed and replaced with a soil absorption system (SAS). The board voted unanimously to approve the application with those conditions.
The board also approved a variance for a failed system at 37 South Village Road. Craig Ferrari of Down Cape Engineering said the proposal fits a small lot and uses a pressure-dosed system; members expressed concern about the area being in a recharge zone and debated requiring IA/UV treatment. The board approved the variance (memorandum dated 12/04/2024) with conditions and explicitly added a stipulation that the property must connect to sewer service "as soon as sewer hookups are available."
A previously approved project at 45 Doctor Lawrence Road returned with a revised floor plan; Ferrari said the existing septic with a passing inspection would remain unchanged and the board approved the modification with the same conditions as the earlier approval. Minor floor-plan modifications for 41 Paul Street also were approved with staff-recommended conditions.
For 24 Honeysuckle Lane (a structurally failing cesspool in Dennisport), engineer Bob Perry recommended a below-grade tight tank with alarms suitable for a small lot and with a requirement to hook up when sewer service reaches the neighborhood. A committee member said the tight tank "will completely take the effluent out of the environment," and the board approved installation with the enumerated conditions.
Most motions passed unanimously or by consensus. Where approvals included numbered memorandum conditions (for example, items listed as conditions 1,2,3,5,6 and 10 in the staff memos), the board accepted those conditions as part of the approvals.
What happens next: applicants move to obtain building permits or implement the approved system changes, and in the cases where sewer expansion is expected, the board has attached hookup requirements or contingency trigger conditions (for example, installation of a tight tank if a system fails repeatedly).
