Littleton Board of Health Denies Septic Variance Over Neighbor's Well Proximity

LITTLETON -- April 26, 2023, Littleton Board of Health denies a sewage disposal variance for a Mattawanakee Road lot, citing a neighbor's well just 60 feet from the proposed leaching field. The board voted 3-0 to reject the request by engineer Ted Ussed on behalf of owner Peter Scott, whose family has held the property for more than 60 years, after confirming the proposed system would sit 40 feet inside the state Title 5 minimum of 100 feet from a private well. Scott, who had offered to connect the neighboring well owner to municipal water at no cost and cover two years of bills, argued that effluent would not travel laterally to a bedrock well, but member Kevin Davis said he "just can't risk somebody else's potable water" and all three voting members concurred. The board also continued a separate public hearing on cannabis odor complaints against Sanctuary Medicinal at 234 Taylor Street to June 14, directing the facility and its consultant Tech Environmental to produce structured before-and-after monitoring data and a pressurization remediation plan, after neighbor Kathy Scully of 240 Taylor Street testified that odors remain frequent and strong despite the facility's $3.2 million HVAC investment.