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Town of Barnstable, MA
Barnstable County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Adopted 9-6-1983; revised 12-17-2002, effective 3-7-2003 (Section 6.00 of Part VIII of the 1991 Codification as updated through 6-1-1996)]
A. 
The purpose of this article is the protection of groundwater in the Town of Barnstable.
B. 
The ground resources of the Town of Barnstable are its sole source of water supply. It is now known and demonstrable that public supply wells draw water from a substantial land area. It is known from experience that high-density housing can, over time, cause serious deterioration of ambient groundwater by nitrate contamination. It has been proven that nitrate contamination in drinking water can be a serious public health problem.
C. 
Calculations performed by Cape Cod Planning and Economic Development Commission indicate that individual residential housing units placed on one -acre parcels will produce the maximum recommended planning limit of five parts per million (ppm) nitrate-nitrogen in groundwater.
A. 
The owner of any commercial structure located within an area of concern as defined in the Town of Barnstable Area of Concern Map, dated January 16, 2003 (FILE: sewer_aocs2.dgn D.S.T.P.), will be subject to connecting said structures to public sewer when available.
B. 
The owner of any multifamily structure located within an area of concern as defined in the Town of Barnstable Area of Concern Map, dated January 16, 2003 (FILE: sewer_aocs2.dgn D.S.T.P.), will be subject to connecting said structures to public sewer when available.
C. 
The owner of any subdivision located within an area of concern as defined in the Town of Barnstable Area of Concern Map, dated January 16, 2003 (FILE: sewer_aocs2.dgn D.S.T.P.), will be subject to connecting all dwellings/buildings within the subdivision to public sewer when available.
D. 
The owner or occupant of any building upon land abutting on a public or private way, in which there is a common sewer, shall connect the same therewith by a sufficient drain.
Variances to the regulation may be granted by the Board of Health after a hearing during which the applicant proves that the installation of on-site sewage disposal system will not have a significant adverse effect on surface or subsurface public or private water resources. The Board in granting variances will consider if strict interpretation of this regulation would do manifest injustice to the applicant; however, the applicant must demonstrate that the same degree of environmental protection required by this regulation can be achieved by other means.