Frequently Asked
Questions
Definitions
Upgrade Program: The program set
forth in this Town of
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 Ef
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
General
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
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?
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
Regulatory
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 5-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.
Financial
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.
Area Selection
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 the 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.