How does Sudbury compare to the surrounding communities pertaining to sewer vs. septic?

Answer

The Commonwealth does not want cities and towns to rely solely on a public sewer system for the entire community. In fact, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would prefer that cities and towns address areas that pose a threat to the environment and public health to allow groundwater sources the opportunity to recharge in areas safe to do so. As is recommended in Sudbury’s CWMP, most of the Town is recommended to continue to maintain on-site wastewater systems for the long-term under a local Septage Management System.

The abutting communities are detailed as follows:

• • Framingham: A small portion of Framingham near the Wayside Inn maintains on-site wastewater/septic systems; the majority of Framingham has public sewer service, which is collected, treated, and discharged at the Deer Island Treatment facility operated by the MWRA.
  • Wayland: There is a wastewater treatment plant in the center of Wayland that treats effluent from the downtown area which has multiple discharge locations.
  • Concord: A substantial section of Concord is serviced by a public sewer at the Concord Wastewater Treatment Facility located at 509 Bedford Street in Concord.
  • Marlborough: Almost the entire community is serviced with public sewer at the Westerly and Easterly Wastewater Treatment Facilities.

• • Hudson: The Town is serviced by public sewer at the Hudson Wastewater Treatment Facility on One Municipal Drive in Hudson.
  • Maynard: There is a sizable portion of Maynard that is serviced by public sewer at the Maynard Water Pollution Control Facility located on 18 Pine Hill Road in Maynard.
  • Acton: A large portion of Acton is serviced with public sewer at the Acton Wastewater Treatment Facility located at 20 Adams Street in Acton.
  • Sudbury: There are 3 existing small, private wastewater treatment facilities currently operating in Sudbury. These include Meadow Walk (Avalon), the Lincoln-Sudbury High School, and Longfellow Glen. There is a new wastewater facility being constructed for Cold Brook Crossing in North Sudbury.
  • The proposed wastewater flows identified in the CWMP are larger in size than the existing treatment facilities in Sudbury, as the areas to be serviced are larger. The major goal of the CWMP is to preserve and protect the Town’s major drinking water supplies from potential contamination from on-site wastewater systems that leach into the groundwater. Properties located along Route 20 and in the Raymond Road neighborhoods are within the zone of influence of the Raymond Road wells, leaving more opportunity for pollutants to enter the Town’s drinking water supply through impacted groundwater.