Background
For
many years, there has been discussion about the issue of considering municipal
sewer to the Town Center. The 2001 General Plan noted the difficulty of
maintaining septic systems on small lots without impacting groundwater quality,
and noted that there had been discussion about a small wastewater treatment
plant to serve the area. There also has been speculation about whether Jameson
Fields would be a suitable site for a leaching field for a shared septic system
or wastewater treatment plant. Knowledge of whether this is an important asset
or not is of critical importance to the potential of the Town Center. Any potential
use of the fields for this purpose would be subject to much further analysis
and votes of the Town.
The
newly adopted 2019 Master Plan addresses water and septic issues. It notes that
"locations of many Town Center wells
and septic fields, which were installed many years ago before today's stricter
standards were in place, no longer would be allowed, and they pose a potential
health risk. Options for current businesses are limited as there is little room
for expansion of septic capacity. Indeed, ground water supplies are currently
vulnerable to contamination by existing septic systems. It also states
that, in addition to a potential health threat, "it could threaten town finances by forcing expensive emergency
infrastructure remediation."
The
Select Board appointed the Town Center Options Committee (TCOC) in 2014 to
study the technical and financial options available to add water supply and/or
wastewater management systems. The TCOC work to date shows further development
of the Town Center is constrained by septic disposal capacity and water supply.
One
of the recommendations of the Master Plan is to:
C. Support and guide the TCOC with resources needed to
complete the analysis of the technical feasibility and projected costs of
installing and maintaining a public water and/or septic system within a
strictly limited Town Center district.
Previous
studies have considered the possibility of a wastewater treatment plant serving
the Town Center. The Town worked with Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
and the Charles River Watershed Association (CWRA) to study the "smart
sewer" concept in 2013. The TCOC consultant also prepared a cost estimate
for a wastewater treatment system. Both of these efforts lacked the essential
information of whether Jameson Field had any capacity to serve as a leaching
facility for any wastewater treatment system. A nonbinding vote in the 2007
Town election favored encouraging the formation of a water and/or sewer system
to serve the Business district by a 2-1 margin.
Current Efforts
In
2018, a proposal for a private development included the option to locate a
wastewater treatment facility leaching field at Jameson Field that would be
paid for, in part, by the developer. Several financing options were discussed
but the discussions never advanced beyond the preliminary concept stage.
However, the discussions did bring to light the fact that no one knows whether
using the fields as a leaching area is technically feasible, before even
considering financial feasibility.
Some
knowledge of the Jameson Field is already available. It is currently the
leaching area for the Pine Hill School septic system as well as the Pine Hill
School stormwater management system. It also serves as the leaching area for
the Fire Station septic system. The Fire Station leaching area is raised due to
high groundwater, but the Pine Hill School system is not raised.
Regarding
the potential development of a municipal water and/or wastewater system for the
Town Center, the Master Plan also states that "The successful solution will depend on the residents' ability to
define and agree upon specific additions and changes that are consistent with
their shared vision of the future of the Town Center."
Due
to the factors stated above, the Planning Board decided that any discussions
about the future of the Town Center hinged on whether or not there is technical
feasibility of locating a leaching facility at Jameson Fields. Therefore, at
the meeting of the Sherborn Select Board of May 23, 2019, the Planning Board
asked the Select Board to authorize funding to conduct limited preliminary soil
testing that could potentially determine either that a leaching facility was
not feasible or whether enough promise could be found to justify additional
testing. The Select Board authorized the funding and asked the Planning Board
to spearhead the effort.
With
input from members of the Planning Board, Board of Health, Town Center Water
Options Committee, DPW Director and Town Planner, a local engineering firm
familiar with the Town was asked for a proposal. After considering the
opportunity, the firm declined because, while it had extensive experience with
septic systems, it believed its lack of experience in analyzing conditions for
a wastewater treatment facility led to the conclusion that a firm more
experienced with such facilities would serve the Town better.
An
RFP was drafted and sent to three firms with experience working in Sherborn and
with designing wastewater treatment plants. Two proposals were received and
both offered excellent credentials. After much review and consideration Stantec
was selected.
With
some coordination among DPW, Board of Health and Stantec, the testing day was
scheduled to be on November 5. DPW supplied an excavator and Stantec provided a
certified soil evaluator. Three test pits were dug and soil logs were prepared
for all three pits down to 12-15 feet. No groundwater, ledge or impervious soil
was encountered to those depths.
The test results indicated highly
permeable soils with fast perc rates of under 2 minutes per inch at all three
sites. The soil logs also indicate one area at Test Pit #2 with a "Redoximorphic
Feature" at 30" from the surface. This can be an indication of high
ground water. However, the certified soil evaluator at Stantec states that
"Stantec does not believe the observed "Redoximorphic feature"
is an indication of high groundwater but rather is an indication of variegated
colors. This test pit was done adjacent to forested hill." In any case,
monitoring pipes have been installed at all three test pits and will be
monitored in the next few months through Spring to determine if groundwater
rises within the pits.
Conclusion
While
not definitive, the initial test results do not preclude consideration of
Jameson Fields as a leaching area for a wastewater treatment facility. The
soils are very permeable. Groundwater does not appear to be an issues based on
these results but the monitoring pipes that were installed will need to be
checked periodically, especially during wet times of year, before a conclusion
can be made on that. Capacity has also not been determined. More testing and substantial
analysis is required before any decisions could be made.
