Sewer commissioners will compile prioritized list of homes not connected to sewer for Board of Health enforcement
June 12, 2026 | Wareham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
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At the June 11 meeting the Wareham Board of Sewer Commissioners asked staff to compile a refined list of properties that are technically served by sewer mains but not yet connected, and to recommend which cases should be referred to the Board of Health for enforcement under Title 5.
Commissioner Bob Scandan described his review of assessor and Board of Health files for neighborhoods such as Rose Point, Parkwood, Briarwood and Tempest Knob and said he could distinguish vacant lots from occupied houses. "If the board of health has no file on that property, that tells me it's probably a hole in the ground like a cesspool," Scandan said, explaining the practical difference between a vacant lot (no immediate action until development) and an occupied home that may need a connection.
Scandan told the board the Board of Health has enforcement authority under Title 5 and "has the final say on that," and proposed that staff (Scott Soie and Scandan) prepare a parcel-by-parcel recommendation identifying which properties go to the Board of Health and which do not. The commissioners agreed to a follow-up: Scott and Bob will deliver the list and recommendations at the next workshop so the board can start targeted enforcement and mailings.
Why it matters: state review documents and the CWMP emphasize infilling areas where sewer mains already exist; connecting occupied homes limits long-term nitrogen inputs from old septic/cesspool systems and helps meet adaptive-management commitments in the CWMP. Commissioners discussed practical limits — capacity, prioritization and workload — and agreed to phase this work rather than trying to complete it all at once.
Next steps: staff will rework the list to remove vacant parcels, identify occupied addresses with missing Board of Health files, classify properties by required outreach (notice, registered letter, Board of Health referral), and return with a recommended enforcement path at the next workshop.
Commissioner Bob Scandan described his review of assessor and Board of Health files for neighborhoods such as Rose Point, Parkwood, Briarwood and Tempest Knob and said he could distinguish vacant lots from occupied houses. "If the board of health has no file on that property, that tells me it's probably a hole in the ground like a cesspool," Scandan said, explaining the practical difference between a vacant lot (no immediate action until development) and an occupied home that may need a connection.
Scandan told the board the Board of Health has enforcement authority under Title 5 and "has the final say on that," and proposed that staff (Scott Soie and Scandan) prepare a parcel-by-parcel recommendation identifying which properties go to the Board of Health and which do not. The commissioners agreed to a follow-up: Scott and Bob will deliver the list and recommendations at the next workshop so the board can start targeted enforcement and mailings.
Why it matters: state review documents and the CWMP emphasize infilling areas where sewer mains already exist; connecting occupied homes limits long-term nitrogen inputs from old septic/cesspool systems and helps meet adaptive-management commitments in the CWMP. Commissioners discussed practical limits — capacity, prioritization and workload — and agreed to phase this work rather than trying to complete it all at once.
Next steps: staff will rework the list to remove vacant parcels, identify occupied addresses with missing Board of Health files, classify properties by required outreach (notice, registered letter, Board of Health referral), and return with a recommended enforcement path at the next workshop.
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