BERNARDSTON — Central Bernardston’s flooding problem is being investigated in a study commissioned by the town.
One impetus for the study was a string of septic system failures around central Bernardston since Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Members of the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission have entertained the possibility that the failures have been caused by increasingly frequent floods (rather than improper maintenance or other unrelated issues) but so far the town has not had the information to know for sure.
If there is a pattern in the septic system failures, it would be because of a rising water table, said Brian Yellen, the scientist conducting the study. Yellen defines the water table as the “depth below which soil is completely saturated.” A higher water table means that more of the soil is constantly saturated with water, so the ground is able to absorb less of the water when it rains.
“If the town is going to think about extensive remediation strategies, it is important to establish first that water tables are rising,” Yellen said.
In April the Master Plan Implementation Committee took public comment on how the goals of the Master Plan should be prioritized. Of the 18 goals residents were asked to prioritize, nine were contingent on information that would come from a hydrology study. In a section on zoning and policy, the highest ranked goal was to “investigate shared ownership strategies for septic systems.”
Now, about a month into his study, Yellen said he is not yet convinced that the water table is rising. However, the region is definitely getting more rain, according to data that he’s using from the United States Geological Survey — including measurements of rivers and precipitation records.
“No matter which part of the hydrologic cycle we look at, we see it’s getting wetter,” Yellen said.
The basic questions the study will address, Yellen said, are the extent of the flooding problem and what is causing it — whether there is a rising water table, or other factors. Whatever the underlying issue is will determine how the town addresses the problem in future planning.
“We can’t alter climate change. If the problem is 100-percent due to climate change, it’s going to impact what the town does moving forward,” Yellen said.
Yellen guesses that the study will be finished by the end of fall.
Contact Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ex 261.