No individual sewage disposal system or other means of sewage disposal shall be located, constructed, altered, repaired or installed where a common sanitary sewer is accessible adjoining the property and where permission to enter such sewer can be obtained from the authority having jurisdiction over it (see § 223-15) or, if a common sanitary sewer is not accessible, until a permit for its location, construction, alteration, repair or installation shall have been issued by the Board of Health. A permit shall not be issued when the total volume for sewage to be disposed of on any lot is in excess of 15,000 gallons per day, or where sewage treatment facilities are proposed on the lot to be served, until the plans for such a system have been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering in accordance with MGL c. 111, § 17. Where sewage flow on a lot exceeds 15,000 gallons per day, the Department of Environmental Quality Engineering may require additional treatment of the waste prior to its disposal to the ground.
No person or firm shall engage in the construction,
alteration, installation or repair of any individual disposal system
without first obtaining a disposal works installers permit from the
Board of Health. Such permits shall expire at the end of the year
in which they are issued, unless earlier revoked for cause by the
Board of Health.
No person or firm shall engage in the pumping or transport of the contents of any part of an individual sewage disposal system without first obtaining a septage handler's permit from the Board of Health in accordance with MGL c. 111, § 31A. The application for such permit shall state the site and method of the disposal, and such site and method of disposal must have been approved by the Department of Environmental Quality Engineering regardless of the stated volume of material disposed of at that site. Such permits shall be contingent upon compliance with § 223-141 and shall expire at the end of the year in which they are issued, unless revoked earlier for cause. A list of permits issued shall be submitted to the appropriate regional office of the Department of Environmental Quality Engineering at the beginning of each calendar year.
An application for a disposal works construction
permit shall be submitted to the Board of Health and must be accompanied
by a plan of the proposed sewage disposal facilities. Such permit
shall be invalidated if conditions other than those set forth in the
application are found prior to or during the actual construction of
the individual sewage disposal system. In any event, a permit so granted
shall expire one-year from the date of issue, unless construction
of the system of individual sewage disposal is begun before the expiration
date or unless this chapter has been revised.
All of the following information will appear
on a single plan with a maximum size of 24 inches by 36 inches and
using a scale of one inch equals 20 feet. A different scale will require
prior approval of the Southborough Board of Health.
A.
The lot completely dimensioned and the names of all
abutters: a North arrow and bench mark within 100 feet of the proposed
system; the name and address of the applicant and the design engineer;
the location, dimensions and all offsets of the proposed system and
future expansion areas; the estimated daily flow; the design calculations;
and the total leaching area provided for in square feet of sidewall
area only (trenches and seepage pits).
B.
The existing and proposed contours and elevations
with a minimum of two-foot intervals and the location, elevation and
dated soil log of all deep observation holes and percolation tests;
note on the plans percolation tests performed after overnight soak,
if performed.
C.
The maximum groundwater elevation and determination
data in the area of the sewage disposal system; the location of any
streams, surface and subsurface drains, driveways and wetlands within
150 feet of the sewage disposal system; if a well is to serve the
lot, the proposed well location with offsets and all known sewage
disposal systems within 150 feet of the proposed well; the water service;
and all known sources of water supply (wells and reservoirs) within
200 feet of the proposed sewage disposal system.
D.
A profile of the entire system with the following
elevations shown:
(1)
Invert elevation at the building foundation.
(2)
Invert elevations of the inlet and outlet of the septic
tank.
(3)
Septic tank dimensions.
(4)
Invert elevations of the inlet and outlet of the distribution
box.
(5)
Elevation of the basement floor.
(6)
Elevation of the top of the foundation.
(7)
Number of outlets in the proposed distribution box.
(8)
Invert elevations of both the beginning and end of
all trenches when used.
(9)
Invert elevation of pipe at the seepage pit when used.
(10)
Elevation of the bottom of the trench or seepage pit
and water table elevations.
E.
All existing and proposed structures and a typical
cross section of leaching areas (trenches and seepage pits).
F.
The following notes shall be a part of the submitted
plans:
(1)
All construction is to conform to the requirements
of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering,
Title 5, and the Town of Southborough Rules and Regulations.
(2)
Any alteration to the approved system must be submitted
to the Board of Health prior to construction for the Board's approval.
(3)
The pipe from the building to the septic tank shall
be four-inch cast iron, ductile iron or Schedule 40 PVC and shall
be straight for its entire length or have bends with manholes. The
pipe from the septic tank to the distribution box shall be four-inch
cast iron, ductile iron or Schedule 40 PVC only. The pipe from the
distribution box to the beginning of the leaching area shall be four-inch
cast-iron, ductile iron or Schedule 40 PVC only.
(4)
After construction, this system will be inspected
and certified by a registered engineer and the Board of Health. A
certificate of compliance from the engineer will be required, indicating
that the system has been located and constructed in compliance with
the terms of the permit, prior to the final approval of the Board
of Health.
(5)
The Board of Health reserves the right to require
any additional information which it feels is necessary for the plan.
The use of an individual sewage disposal system
shall be in compliance with the terms of the permit issued therefor
and shall not exceed the design capacity of the system. Design capacity
shall not be reduced for seasonal use.
No building permit, foundation permit, special
building permit or plumbing permit shall be issued until a disposal
works construction permit has first been obtained, unless the Board
of Health determines that the existing sewage disposal system is adequate
for proposed alteration or addition to an existing dwelling.
No construction of a sewage disposal system
or the superstructure may commence until two copies of a foundation
certification plan from the designer have been submitted and approved
by the Board of Health. Said foundation certification shall show foundation
offsets to the side line and the street line and the top of foundation
elevation.
A new sewage disposal system and alteration
or repair to an existing individual system shall not be placed in
service, nor shall any new dwellings or buildings or additions thereto
which must rely on a new individual sewage disposal system for sewage
disposal be occupied, until the Board of Health has issued a certificate
of compliance. Prior to the Board of Health's issuing said certificate
of compliance the designer or registered professional engineer will
certify, in writing, that the sewage disposal system has been located,
constructed, altered or repaired in compliance with the terms of the
permit, the requirements of the Board of Health and the requirements
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Title 5. The certification from
the designer or registered professional engineer will show all proposed
and existing elevations as shown on the profile of the approved plans.
A fee for the issuance of a construction permit
may be charged by the Board of Health at the time an application is
made for the permit.
The Board of Health will inspect the installation
of all individual sewage disposal systems and may, at any stage of
construction, require necessary modifications if conditions are encountered
that were not originally observed. When construction of the sewage
disposal system has been completed, except for backfilling, the installer
shall provide a reasonable period of notification when requesting
an inspection, and the inspection shall be performed in a reasonable
period of time by the Board of Health or its agent. The responsibility
of notifying the designer or the registered professional engineer
for their inspecting shall not be the duty of the Board of Health
or its agent.
When an individual sewage disposal system is built in fill, the excavation shall be inspected by the Board of Health or its agent and the design engineer after the topsoil and subsoil have been removed and prior to the placement of any gravel. No construction of the sewage disposal system shall commence until a certificate from the design engineer stating that the fill used within the disposal area meets the requirements of § 223-17 of this chapter is received and approved by the Board of Health or its agent.
Sanitary sewage, gray water, the effluent from
any sewage or waste treatment plant or other polluting water shall
not be discharged into or allowed to flow by means of pipes, drains,
etc., into any lake, pond, stream, tidal water, watercourse or open
or covered drain tributary thereon, unless approved by the Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.
Individual sewage disposal systems or other
means of sewage disposal shall not be approved where a common sanitary
sewer is accessible adjoining the property and where permission to
enter such a sewer can be obtained from the authority having jurisdiction
over it. The Board of Health may require the owner or occupant of
an existing building or buildings, whenever a common sanitary sewer
is accessible in an abutting way, to cause such building or buildings
to be connected with the common sanitary sewer in a manner and within
a period of time satisfactory to the Board of Health.
Each unit of the disposal system shall be designed
to treat adequately the estimated volume of sanitary sewage to be
discharged from the premises to be served. The volume of such flow
should be based on the estimated maximum expected daily quantities
of sewage, as determined from the table below. No cooling water, groundwater,
discharge of roof drains or other uncontaminated water shall be discharged
to the sanitary sewage disposal system.
|
Sewage Flow Estimates1, 2
|
|
Type of Establishment
|
Gallons
(per day)
|
|---|---|
|
Boarding school, college (per person)
|
65
|
|
Nursing home and rest home (per person)
|
100
|
|
School, without cafeteria, gymnasium or showers
(per person)
|
10
|
|
School, with cafeteria, but not gymnasium or
showers (per person)
|
15
|
|
School, with cafeteria, gymnasium and showers
(per person)
|
20
|
|
Swimming pool (per person)
|
10
|
|
Camp, resident, with washroom and toilets (per
person)
|
25
|
|
Camp, resident, with mess hall (per person)
|
10
|
|
Camp, day, with washroom and toilets (per person)
|
10
|
|
Camp, day, with mess hall (per person)
|
3
|
|
Campground, with showers and toilets (per site)
|
75
|
|
Gymnasium (per spectator)
|
3
|
|
Gymnasium (per participant)
|
25
|
|
Theater, auditorium (per person)
|
3
|
|
Public park, with toilet wastes only (per person)
|
5
|
|
Public park, with bathhouse, showers and flush
toilets (per person)
|
10
|
|
Factory or industrial plant, without cafeteria
(per person)
|
15
|
|
Factory or industrial plant, with cafeteria
(per person)
|
20
|
|
Work or construction camp (per person)
|
50
|
|
Single- and multiple-dwelling units, motel,
hotel, boardinghouse (per bedroom)
|
100
|
|
Tennis club (per court)
|
250
|
|
Bowling alley (per alley)
|
100
|
|
Country club, with dining room (per seat)
|
10
|
|
Country club, with snack bar or lunch room (per
seat)
|
10
|
|
Country club, with locker and showers (per locker)
|
20
|
|
Church (per seat)
|
3
|
|
Church vestry/kitchen (per person, at capacity)
|
5
|
|
Trailer dump station (per site or per trailer)
|
50
|
|
Mobile home park (per site)
|
200
|
|
Office building (per 1,000 square feet)
|
75
|
|
Dry goods store (per 100 square feet)
|
5
|
|
Drive-in (per stall)
|
5
|
|
Non-single-family automatic clothes washer (per
washing machine)
|
400
|
|
Hospital (per bed)
|
200
|
|
Service station, excluding thruway (per island)
|
300
|
|
Skating rink
|
3,000 plus 5 per seat
|
|
Restaurant, food-service establishment, lounge,
tavern (per seat or chair)
|
35
|
|
Restaurant, thruway service area (per seat or
chair)
|
150
|
|
Restaurant, kitchen flow (per seat or chair)
|
15
|
|
Barbershop beauty salon (per seat or chair)
|
100
|
|
Note: Laundromat wastes are considered industrial
wastes and must be approved by the Department of Environmental Quality
Engineering.
|
|
NOTES:
|
|---|
|
1 Estimated sewage
flows other than those listed here should be considered in relation
to actual meter readings or established flows from known or similar
installations. Generally, estimated sewage flows will be based on
200% of average water meter readings in order to assimilate daily
flows.
|
|
2 See Section 3.4F
for single-family residential requirements.
|
Except as provided in Article XVIII, an individual sewage disposal system shall consist of a septic tank discharging its effluent to a suitable subsurface sewage disposal area as hereinafter described. Where buildings are served by more than one system, each system shall consist of a septic tank discharging its effluent to a suitable subsurface sewage disposal area. Separate systems for laundry wastes are not recommended.
An individual disposal system shall be located
in an area where no surface water will accumulate. Provisions shall
be made to minimize the flow of surface water over the area.
Earth materials used to cover subsurface sewage
disposal facilities shall be free from large stones, frozen clumps
of earth, masonry, stumps or waste construction materials. Machinery
which may crush or disturb alignment of pipe in the disposal system
shall not be allowed on any part of the disposal system.
Where an individual sewage disposal system has been constructed, wholly or partly, in fill, the fill shall be properly placed and compacted to minimize settlement or it shall be allowed to settle for a minimum of 12 months, whichever occurs first. The fill material shall be clean coarse washed sand or other clean granular material essentially free from clay fines, dust, organic matter, large stones, masonry, stumps, frozen clumps of earth, wood, tree branches and waste construction material and shall have a percolation rate of less that two minutes per inch before and after placement. Before the fill is put in place, all trees, brush and stumps shall be removed from the area to be filled. Topsoil, peat and other impervious materials shall be removed from all areas beneath the leaching facility for a distance of 25 feet in all direction therefrom when the leaching facility is above natural ground elevation; or impervious materials shall be removed for 10 feet in all directions therefrom when the leaching facility is below the natural ground elevation. No sewage disposal system shall be constructed in fill placed upon impervious material, unless the requirements of § 223-31 have been met. All fill is to be certified by the designer or a registered professional engineer that it meets the requirements of this section.
The use of a subsurface disposal system by more
than one lot is prohibited.
Every owner or agent of premises in which there
are any private sewers, individual sewage disposal systems or other
means of sewage disposal shall keep the sewers and disposal systems
in proper operational condition and shall have such works cleaned
or repaired at such time as ordered by the Board of Health. If the
owner or agent of the premises fails to comply with such order, the
Board of Health may cause the works to be cleaned or repaired and
all expenses incurred to be paid by the owner. Sewage disposal works
shall be maintained in a manner that will not create objectionable
conditions or cause the works to become a source of pollution to any
of the waters of the commonwealth.
No sanitary sewage shall be allowed to discharge
or spill onto the surface of the ground or to flow into any gutter,
street, roadway or public place, nor shall such material discharge
into any private property.
Meters, dosing counters or other flow measuring
devices shall be installed to record accurately the flow of sewage
when required by the Board of Health or the Department of Environmental
Quality Engineering.
A reserve area of at least equal capacity, suitable
for subsurface sewage disposal and upon which no permanent structure
will be constructed, must be provided for all sewage disposal systems.
