Shutesbury Board of Health Reissues Stalled Septic Permit With New Water Testing Mandate

SHUTESBURY -- April 1, 2026, Shutesbury Board of Health reissues a lapsed septic permit and adds a mandatory annual water testing condition. The three-member board voted unanimously April 1 to reissue the construction permit for 31 Merrill Drive, originally approved roughly three years ago but never installed after the prior owner ran out of funds, under a 2026 permit number and with the application fee waived. Because the system will sit just 70 feet from the property's well, below the standard 100-foot setback, the board amended its motion to require annual late-summer testing for coliform bacteria and nitrates, a condition the board acknowledged has been ordered in the past but never consistently tracked. Board member Arlene moved the amendment; it passed unanimously. The board agreed to begin a formal address-based compliance list starting with 31 Merrill Drive, with the chair volunteering to add a September calendar reminder to check for submitted test results.