Strategies for Rural Development in Areas with Limited Public Infrastructure: Alternative Septic Systems

Developer Incentives for Compact Development: New Gloucester, Maine

The Town of New Gloucester uses performance standards in its zoning ordinance to encourage Open Space Subdivisions.  The standards provide incentives to developers for clustered development, including the option to use community wells and shared septic systems to develop more compactly in areas where public water and sewer lines are not available.   

If these alternatives are used, the developer must provide either:

Despite the explicit provision for community wastewater systems and wells within the zoning ordinance, all subdivision projects to date (June 2012) have featured onsite septic systems and individual drilled wells.

Clustered septic systems are also proposed as an option to replace aging, non-conforming disposal systems in portions of the Lower Village that are not served by public sewers.  These lots are too small to support modern on-site septic systems with all of the required setbacks from wells and property lines, but  4-5 properties could share a common leach field in an open space area.  

New Gloucester is moving closer to achieving its goal of bringing a public water supply to its Upper Village, which contains a designated Superfund cleanup site that contaminated the local groundwater.  Property owners must use expensive, complex filtering systems to obtain safe drinking water.  The new public water system will pump clean water up to the village area from an uncontaminated source in another part of the town.

For more information: 

Paul First, Town Planner, 926-4126 ext. 4, option 1

Debra Parks Larrivee, CEO, 926-4126 ext. 3.

 

Related Work Plan Components

Workgroup Contacts

In Aroostook County: Jay Kamm, Ken Murchison, Joella Theriault

In Washington County: Judy East