4/27/2006 BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE Minutes

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ttuning the idea over to future action.items. The Town planner had more information on denitrifying systems,which he spoke about. According to Mr. pu.dala, the EPA program had many model scenarios--one of the scenarios was what if everybody on the watershed had a denitrifying system. He said the water would actually be worse and that the bottom line was that there was going to be more sewer•ing at a higher treatment rate was going to be needed,because dentrifrcation does not solve problem because of build up. The Vice Chairman added that a lot of the onsite systems were not utilized being utilized by their full effect they were summer homes, not occupied year-round. The Town Planner said that they c had not been monitormng programs m all fifteen towns. He said that the standard septic system did not have the biggest reduction— 19-26 12 percent and that there was a little more in a leach field. Mir, Miller spoke asked if in the most recent subdivisions,there were twenty lots and required to have twenty stand-alone systems for a two bedroom house, it would be a deterrent to development when and if it is completed,versus having one larger system for all of those twenty lots would be more economical. How much more would a system for twenty lots cost,versus an individual system, he added. 1r. Theis said that it would probably not be so much cash flow. But,Mr. Miller said.,you could make the same argument in building the first 300 feet of the road. The Vice Charman asked if he was correct in saying that most of the denites which were done in Mashpoe were being done by the Conservation orrrrnission? According to 1 h-. Miller, the vice Cbairman was coffect. The Town planner spoke up and asked rhetorically how to mitigate nitrogen'imp aot. There hasn't been many subdivisions, that have been denitra.ted,two or three, he said. He said that rather than puffing money into a.denite system rn would be better to put the rnoney into an escrow account, m those circumstances. lr.Theis asked if there had ever been a discussion or serious study on using gray water septic systems in residential applications. Not as a municipall effort he said he hadn't sten it as an approach by other towns, the Town Planner said. IW. Theis spoke about the mechanics of treatment tune. If a property owner would not be flushing a bunch of gray water througb his septic system, it would have to have time for the natural bacterial process to work. He thought if it would be, in the long i-mi, a better,much less expensive denitrification system. The Town Planner replied that leach field using oxygen nobody has approached it for a wastewater issue. Land Management and Usage---Douglas Storrs Mr. StoiTs started his presentation stating that up until this time, the committee was taking about land management in very general teras, If nitrogen was the driving issue, he said,nitrogen to land use was the principal issue to lakes and ponds. He said that in talking about laird use to nitrogen issues, the concentration would require a.wastewater treatment plant and that it should be discussed. The developers should be providing growth centers treated by wastewater treatment. He described that this was one of section in the list of action items, which Ms. lane had provided. Another issue,lie stated, was how to Meal with nitrogen out of Certified Growth Issues. Cr. toi-rs said that any concentration of existing uses were for smaller package treatment plants in the community. The cost was monumental,he said, in wastewater treatment facilities. The cost (for smaller package treatment facilities)would fall on the homeowner, and would be the homeowner's burden}he added.