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Middleton Board of Health requires secondary septic treatment for 221 S. Main Street plaza
Summary
After a third-party engineering review, the Middleton Board of Health voted to require secondary wastewater treatment for the septic system serving 221 S. Main Street (Starbuck’s Plaza), citing high-strength commercial waste and a prior system failure first noted in fall 2023.
The Middleton Board of Health on April 15 required secondary wastewater treatment for the septic system serving 221 S. Main Street, known in the minutes as Starbuck’s Plaza, following a third-party review by Chuck Johnson, P.E.
Johnson told the board the design plan for 221 S. Main Street was dated 2017 and the as-built drawing dated 2019, and that septic failure was first noted in the fall of 2023. He said the plaza produces "high-strength wastewater" and that state Title V design standards are intended for low-strength residential waste; those standards focus on BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), TSS (total suspended solids) and FOG (fats, oils and grease). "It is the opinion of Mr. Johnson that the current system failed due to a lack of secondary treatment," the minutes record.
Property owner Warren Kelly disagreed with Johnson’s assessment. Kelly told the board he does not believe secondary treatment is necessary and "states that it was due to high demand during COVID." The minutes show the 3/10/26 plan submitted by Mr. Rich Williams had included secondary treatment, but a later plan omitted that component after Mr. Kelly directed its removal because of cost concerns.
The Board reiterated that it retained Johnson for the review and, "as such, the Board is requiring secondary treatment for this project." The minutes note that Johnson will prepare a formal letter to the Board outlining his recommendations and that Mr. Williams is awaiting follow-up from J&R Sales on possible combinations of high-strength FAST units.
The board’s directive does not show a roll-call vote in the minutes; the record states the Board "is requiring" the treatment. The minutes do not specify a timeline for submission of revised plans or final approval steps; those details will be determined when the formal recommendation letter and subsequent plans are submitted to the Board.
