Proposed incentive program to ease the pain of septic sewer connections

About 40 homes in Dartmouth could be connected to the sewer system over the next two years, according to a new proposed incentive plan from the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

According to Dan Goulart, Buttonwood to Bay project manager for the Buzzards Bay Coalition, more than 150 properties in Dartmouth along the Apponagansett Bay watershed are connected to septic tanks, but they sit on top of the existing sewer system. The proposed plan would allow some of those properties to be connected.

The coalition is proposing a partnership with the city through a program called “Connect to Protect Apponagansett Bay,” which would incentivize sewer connections to reduce the approximately 3,200 pounds of nitrogen that enters the watershed from those properties each year, Goulart said.

Goulart attended the Board of Public Works meeting on Thursday, July 25. He presented the program and requested that the cost of connecting to the municipal sewer for program participants be reduced from $2,500 to $600.

While board members would like to see more information before making a decision, they remained supportive of establishing this program for Dartmouth residents throughout their discussion.

“We want this to be a really positive process,” Goulart said — for both residents and the city. And it’s completely voluntary.

The program is being paid for in part by the Environmental Protection Agency Pilot Watershed Initiative Grant, a five-year grant that expires in 2026 and provides a total of $100,000, Goulart said. But the coalition will seek an additional $100,000 from the private sector and other grant sources.

The program is a “spinoff” of the work being done for the EPA’s Watershed Initiative, which involves conducting a watershed assessment, improving water quality and implementing a number of solutions within a five-year time frame, Goulart said.

The coalition tested waters in Buttonwood Brook, Apponagansett Bay and Dike Creek to reduce pollutants. While other ongoing environmental projects will help, this is a “quick way to reduce nitrogen loading on the bay,” he said.

According to Goulart, the consequences of not reducing nitrogen in the bay include the closure of beaches and shellfish and the risk of algae blooms.

The initiative enabled the coalition to update the GIS map of Dartmouth’s sewer network and, using data from the Board of Health, identified 153 properties in the catchment with septic tanks, he said.

Connecting to the sewer system can be expensive, Goulart said. Property owners face financial and structural barriers, as well as capacity, because older retirees are not able to plan and implement such a project. The coalition wants to provide not only financial support, but also technical and contractual assistance.

With two years left in the grant program and limited fun, the size of the homes had to be scaled down. Sixty of the first 150 homes were selected as potential participants based on the following criteria: pre-Title V construction, owner-occupied, within 50 feet of an existing line, less than 2,000 square feet and with an appraised property value of $250,000, Goulart said.

“We want to make sure that this first iteration targets the people who need the stimulus,” he said.

Goulart said the goal is to connect at least 20 properties per year, starting in October once all the details are approved. After the first two years, the city can expect to receive an additional 9,000 gallons of wastewater per day.

If the program is expanded and all 150 properties are connected, that will equate to a total of about 24,000 additional liters of water per day, he added.

Goulart highlighted the additional benefits for homeowners, including the fact that many septic systems are nearing the end of their useful life and are located in areas with high water tables. This change will increase their property values.

He said that while $1,900 off the connection fee seems like a lot, “spending the money to incentivize someone to connect to the sewer actually turns out to be a very cost-effective way to reduce nitrogen in Apponagansett Bay.”

He added that at current sewer rates, these program participants will pay the city back within a four-year period and then start making a profit, which is “revenue they might never have seen if the program had not incentivized connection in the first place.”