Frequently Asked Questions
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Upgrade Program: The program set forth in this Town of Old Saybrook Wastewater Upgrade Program document. Advanced Treatment System (AT System, ATS): An Alternative Sewage Treatment System that provides advanced treatment and has a manufacturer's certification or acceptable test results showing a minimum fifty percent (50%) reduction in Effluent nitrogen concentration. Only AT Systems approved by the DEP for use in the WWMD shall be considered to meet the requirements of this Upgrade Program. WPCA: The Old Saybrook Water Pollution Control Authority. Maintenance: The regular cleaning of any Leaching System, Septic Tank, Building Sewer, or any other component of a Sewage Treatment System for the purpose of restoring its performance to its originally intended level of operation. The term "Maintenance" shall also mean any regularly required servicing or replacement of related mechanical, electrical or other equipment. WWMD: A decentralized wastewater management district established in accordance with General Statutes § 7-245 et. seq. DEP: State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, acting by its Commissioner or duly authorized representative Will an Advanced Treatment System allow me to convert my home to year-round occupancy? Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems and/or Advanced Treatment Systems do not change the year-round occupancy requirements. Having a code compliant septic system is only one of many criteria that must be met. However, upgrades and Advanced Treatment System installations may help to meet these requirements. This should be addressed with the Board of Selectmen and other appropriate Town Boards on a case basis. How will the wastewater system upgrades impact my property value? In general it is expected that upgrades as with many property improvements will increase property values. (Board of Selectmen/Assessor may have data to support this.) How does this (Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems and the WWMD) apply to me? Properties within the WWMD will be subject to requirements of the Ordinance Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems and may be subject to upgrades upon evaluation. Properties outside of the WWMD will be subject to requirements of the Ordinance Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems as described below: The purpose of the Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems is to promote the health and welfare for the residents of the Town of Old Saybrook by requiring pump-out inspection and maintenance of said on-site sewage disposal systems at least once every five- (5) years. Identified cesspools, steel septic tanks or under-sized septic tanks will require upgrade or replacement of the on-site sewage disposal system as directed by the Director of Health. To this end the Town of Old Saybrook Water Pollution Control Authority, has developed this ordinance with the intent to eliminate the need for sewers in the Town, wherever possible by: 1. Enforcing the State and Town Public Health Codes. 2. Alerting property owners of existing or potential problems with their systems, so that any damage to such systems and cost of repairs or upgrades are minimized. 3. Developing town-wide-on-site inspection data; which may be used by the Water Pollution Control Authority in a wastewater management plan for the entire Town? 4. Educating property owners about proper care and maintenance procedures to follow for subsurface sewage disposal systems. 5. Requiring repairs to any existing problems discovered. 6. Aggressively enforcing provisions of Section 19-13-B100a and any subsequent revisions of the Public Health Code. My system is working well. Why am I required to upgrade my system? Systems within the WWMD that do not meet the Standards of Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems are considered to be substandard and will need to upgrade their systems. What’s going to happen on my property? Each property within the WWMD will be evaluated against the Upgrade Standards based on current Town records following the passing of Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems. The homeowner will then be notified of what will be required to upgrade the septic system along with information on suppliers, cost, etc. This is expected to be accomplished over seven years from the passage of Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems. Why are we doing this (i.e. upgrading septic systems, establishing a WWMD and Upgrade Standards)? It is the responsibility of the Town and its citizens to protect the environment according to the standards set by the regulatory agencies (EPA, CTDEP). Based on the investigations conducted to date, it has been determined that certain areas of the Town of Old Saybrook with aged systems, shallow groundwater table that is within close proximity of the State’s water, and supports dense development; needs to upgrade septic systems in order to meet current wastewater treatment standards set by the EPA and delegated to the CTDEP. Based on currently available solutions and the mediation process conducted with CTDEP, the Town must either develop a sewer avoidance/community sewer system, or a “Big Pipe”. Based on a past Town-wide referendum and recent mediation with CTDEP, the Town has selected to address septic system upgrades with individual property on-site solutions instead of a central wastewater treatment plant and sewers. These areas are to be designated by Wastewater Management District and subject to septic system upgrades to be implemented according to an Upgrade Plan subject to approval by the CTDEP. Why do we have to do this in the absence of any gross pollution? Ch. 22a-423 There does not need to be evidence of “gross pollution” to address the need to protect the State’s waters. Whatever we put into the ground is pollution. Treatment systems are designed to minimize the impact. Over the years we have found better ways of doing this. We are being asked to modernize our treatment systems. In Old Saybrook there are many old/aging systems in environmentally sensitive areas that do not meet today's standards for wastewater treatment (depth to groundwater, tank and leaching field size). Failed systems are often hard to detect. Monitoring of groundwater in Old Saybrook does show human impact, but no gross pollution. Some sample results (a limited percentage) exceed water quality standards for certain areas with groundwater classified as GA. Implementing a septic system upgrade is similar to implementing the gas station underground tank regulation. All old petroleum storage tanks had to be upgraded so that leaks are less likely, and if they leak, it can be detected. This is includes installing more corrosion resistant tanks and maintenance and monitoring requirements. Why do we have to do anything? The Town of Old Saybrook has been directed by a Court Judgment to address the stipulated groundwater pollution problems within the identified areas. If the Town were to do “nothing”, we would be subject to further Court actions (fines, orders, etc.) and a likely loss of local control. The mediated settlement with CTDEP was an extension of the Court Judgment that further developed what method(s) (acceptable to CTDEP and the Town) would be used to achieve the required outcome. Among possible solutions acceptable to the DEP in the past has always been a central treatment plant. Town leaders determined that a local solution was best and this solution was developed during the Mediated Settlement process with CTDEP. How will the efficacy of our leaching field be evaluated? For properties within the WWMD, a records review of the current system and a comparison with applicable code requirements will be the basis of the leaching field evaluation. Who will do maintenance on these systems? For conventional septic systems, the homeowner will maintain the system as necessary when problems occur. This includes, at a minimum, a five-year pumpout and inspection by a qualified septic system maintenance company. For Advanced Treatment Systems, the DEP will direct qualifications and standards for maintenance providers. These standards have not been developed yet. What issues will be on the town-wide referendum? The town-wide referendum will include a vote on the Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems establishing the WWMD and approval of associated funding to implement the Upgrade Program. When will the referendum be held? Summer ’09 How will I be notified about the Town-wide referendum? Public notice printed in local papers or broadcast and direct mail. What happens if we vote down the referendum? If the referendum establishing the WWMD is voted down, the Town will have to determine why it was defeated. Based on the evaluation, the Town may make modifications and re-post the referendum for a vote. In the event that no reasonable solution exists, the Town may try to re-negotiate the mediated settlement with the CTDEP. Should the Town fail in any negotiations with the CTDEP, the CTDEP may take the Town back to Court or seek other enforcement actions. This is the most undesirable outcome because it may cause one or more of the following: • The Town may lose autonomy • Town’s bond rating may become jeopardized if fines are substantial • CTDEP may seek insistence on the implementation of a conventional sewer or other remedies without compromise. What are the types of Advanced Treatment Systems available? Large volume (5000gpd) Fixed activated sludge Suspended media MBR SBR Trickling Filters What types of advanced treatment systems have been approved by the State? To date the Connecticut DEP has not developed a list of advanced treatment systems they will accept for individual lot use. They currently review each situation on a case-by–case basis. For the future, DEP is developing a General Permit to cover Advanced Treatment Systems for individual lot use. Who determined that AT systems were an alternative to sewers? A decision was made in the late 90’s by the WPCA, in communication with the Selectmen, to pursue a non-sewer approach. The mediation served to develop the decentralized program further, to the extent that it was (reasonably) clear what would have to be done under this type of program for the DEP to be able to approve it. WPCA compared alternatives including conventional, ATS, community and centralized treatment options. Individual on-site solutions (including ATS where appropriate) were determined to be the best approach. The mediation primarily gathered together the parties to arrive at an agreement on technical standards, along with developing a program outline for the Upgrade program and AT Systems. How do the costs for the decentralized wastewater program compare to the costs if we did sewers? TBD – Fuss & O’Neill Why isn’t the town helping out with the cost? The town will bear a large part of the administration, enforcement, maintenance of the program for years to come after the initial upgrade program. Why will the cost of AT’s be passed on the homeowners instead of sharing the costs equally among all residents of Old Saybrook? What will be their share of the cost? Like all septic systems, ATs are installed to serve the particular property where it is installed. It becomes the homeowner’s property and responsibility. However, all residents of Old Saybrook will bear the costs associated with administration, enforcement and monitoring through property taxes. How does Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems affect other homeowners of Old Saybrook? Homeowners outside of the WWMD will have to meet the requirements for Septic Systems as described in the Ordinance for Management of On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems Section XI and their maintenance (5-year pump out program). How much will upgrades cost me? Will grants or loans be available? For property owners within the WWMD, costs of upgrades (excluding maintenance and monitoring costs) are estimated at between $2K and $25K. Based on preliminary assessments of the areas within the WWMD, most (approximately X%) of all upgrades will involve the lowest costs. Only and estimated X% of properties are expected to require new Advanced Treatment Systems. Cost of upgrades will be reduced by whatever grants and other financing arrangements, repayment terms and public assistance is established. What will be the Town’s share of the cost? The Town will provide staffing for the oversight of the Upgrade program, WPCA staff, and costs associated with monitoring the Advanced Treatment Systems. It is anticipated that there will be a funding mechanism for construction through State/Federal loans and grants, with an eventual benefit assessment for O&M. This aspect of the project is not yet finalized. Who will pay for the monitoring and maintenance of the AT systems? The Town will fund monitoring; Homeowner will pay for maintenance. How were the WWMD areas selected? 1970s Public Health designations – areas included in the need for action Named in desk-top studies including: Malcolm Pirnie, Hayden Wegman and DEP. Based on depth to groundwater and density, and location relative to sensitive areas. 1 and 2, became A, B and C and Commercial, which became WWMD Why were only 15 areas and not the rest of the town? WPCA suggested a town-wide approach; agreed to designate areas to begin the upgrade process. WPCA will recommend expanding the WWMD when each phase is complete. Why are not all areas of the town on waterfront properties required to install Advanced Treatment systems? Why are Fenwick, North and South Coves, and other areas that abut waterways not required to install these systems? Will all of Old Saybrook’s waterfront lots be required to upgrade to AT systems? Criteria for requiring AT Systems includes: density, lot-size (adequate leaching field), depth to groundwater and proximity to the shoreline (a critical resource). The priority areas are being addressed first. Other waterfront areas may be included in the WWMD in the future. What happens after all the upgrades are completed? Maintenance (5-year pump-out for conventional systems) and monitoring in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations. |
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