Shutesbury Board of Health conditionally passes 80 Lakeview Drive septic system with tank upgrade requirement

SHUTESBURY -- June 3, 2026, Shutesbury Board of Health issues conditional pass on a lakeside septic system, requiring a tank upgrade and annual well testing. The board voted 3-0 at its June 3 meeting, with Chair Catherine Hilton abstaining due to her proximity as a neighbor, to conditionally pass the Title V inspection for 80 Lakeview Drive, a property listed for sale. The system's existing tank, believed installed in the 1970s, sits under the driveway, shows baffle corrosion, and lacks the H-20 traffic-load rating that became a statewide requirement in 1995; four neighboring wells at addresses 79 through 83 Lakeview Drive fall within the 50-to-100-foot setback zone that triggers mandatory well-water analysis under Title V. Rather than compel the seller to obtain voluntary tests from neighbors who have no legal obligation to provide them, the board accepted guidance from public health contact Megan and consultant Mike Thoreau and required instead that the seller replace the tank with a properly rated unit, with annual well-water testing results forwarded to the board as a deed-recorded condition of sale.