Press Release
Following months of intense public debate, Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) is pleased to support the Healey Administration’s decision to protect local homeowners from costly septic upgrades under new Title V regulations put forth by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Late last year, Senator Montigny pushed back against the agency’s proposed revisions to the state’s septic system regulations, also known as “Title V”. The enhanced septic requirements are intended to reduce total nitrogen loads impacting local watersheds. As originally drafted, the proposed regulations would have required most individual homeowners to upgrade their septic systems, which is estimated to cost $30,000 or more. Alternatively, towns could apply for a 20-year watershed permit at an unknown cost.
The regulatory proposal was widely believed to have been generated due to private litigation initiated against several Cape Cod communities and the state agency. No Southcoast community has been named in the pending litigation.
“Hundreds of my constituents and local officials have been anxiously waiting to learn whether these new regulations would impact already strained budgets, and I am pleased to report that our communities will not be impacted,” said Senator Montigny. “I commend Governor Healey for her thoughtful attention to this matter and for following through on our very positive communications since she took office. Without a compelling scientific justification and financial assistance from the state, there was absolutely no way that it would be appropriate to burden hardworking homeowners across the Southcoast with new septic rules. Nitrogen pollution is a real environmental problem, but there are far more serious contributors in our region than household septic systems.”
State Rep. William Straus also sent the following statement in response to the decision: “I am pleased that DEP today revised their proposed new watershed regulations in a way which will save residents in the SouthCoast from the immediate extreme costs of septic system changes. As proposed last October, the DEP plan had not taken into account the full impact on this region; as a result last December I joined my House colleagues in filing a Joint Comment to the regulations calling for just this kind of tempered response from the State.
“Today’s revision from the Healey-Driscoll administration calls for further input from the public and local officials before any further changes and permit system would apply to our region.”
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