BERNARDSTON — Conservation officials have begun to consider the possibility of a town septic system in response to recent system failures in the center part of town.
John Lepore, chairman of the Bernardston Master Plan Implementation Committee, said similar plans have been discussed in the past, but they were dismissed due to the costs.
The regularity of the failures lead members of the Conservation Commission and the Master Plan Implementation Committee to suspect the septic systems are being affected by a rising water table that encompasses Darwin Scott Swamp and Fox Hill Brook. A “rising water table” means that the waters in the brook and the swamp rise higher than they have in the past, especially after a rain storm.
Central Bernardston has had flooding problems in the past, but in recent years, the floods have become more frequent, Lepore said. He also said he has data, which he plans to present at the “Bernardston’s Future” meeting on April 10, to show that Bernardston is now receiving more rain than it ever has in recorded history.
Floods, storms and septic system failures may appear to be happening more frequently than they have before, but there is not enough data to determine that the septic system failures are indeed being caused by the rising water table, said Bernardston Conservation Commissioner Bill Meese.
When water leaks into a septic system, it suffocates the bacteria that break down waste, causing the septic system to fail, Lepore said. But presently it is impossible to know whether the failures are being caused by patterns in the region’s water system, or if the septic systems are only failing due to improper maintenance. A research program into the causes of the septic system failures, which has not yet been approved by the town, will be discussed at the April 10 meeting.
Lepore noted several environmental factors that could be affecting the waterflow in Fox Hill Brook and Darwin Scott Swamp and causing the flooding. Buildups of natural sediment cause water to swell past the normal boundaries of the brook, and the surface of the water reaches higher elevations than it has before. He also said the activity of the beavers in the swamp is likely affecting the patterns of the waterflow, too. The area that is now the Darwin Scott Memorial Wetland used to be a hayfield, but was abandoned and donated to the state about 50 years ago. In the time since, the area has become a wetland and beavers have moved in and built dams, which further divert water into normally dry land.
A town septic system would be one part of a larger solution that would likely include plans for sustainable future development, Lepore said. As yet, more data is needed before decisions on addressing the situation can be made.
The “Bernardston’s Future” meeting, where these questions will be discussed in the context of Bernardston’s Master Plan, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10, 6 p.m. at Bernardston Elementary School. There will be free pizza, according to Bernardston’s official website.