Meetings are held remotely. Go to truro-ma.gov, click on the meeting you want to watch, and open its agenda for instructions on how to watch or take part online.
Thursday, May 13
- Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
- Housing Authority, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, May 14
- Commission on Disabilities, 3:30 p.m.
Monday, May 17
- Local Comprehensive Planning Committee, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
- Planning Board, 2:30 p.m.
- Select Board, 3 p.m.
- Board of Health, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 19
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
Thursday, May 20
- Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
Conversation Starters
Cesspool Ban Expected May 18
About 100 Truro home owners with cesspools may soon have to upgrade to Title 5 septic systems.
The board of health has drafted a regulation banning cesspools by Dec. 31, 2023. After many discussions and public hearings, the board is expected vote to adopt that regulation on Tuesday, May 18, at 4:30 p.m., said Health Agent Emily Beebe.
Cesspools, which are concrete pits in the ground with holes where waste flows directly into the dirt, don’t do much to purify wastewater. They are major causes of pollution to neighboring wells and nearby ponds, bays, and rivers.
Cesspools are considered “failed” systems. Currently, they must be upgraded whenever a property sells. But many home owners get around this rule when the property is passed down to children or other relatives within a trust. Truro’s proposed regulation will stop that practice. If adopted on May 18, Truro would require a septic inspection and upgrade when ownership changes even within a trust, Beebe said.
Moreover, everyone will be required to upgrade their cesspool by the end of 2023, even if they aren’t selling the property.
It can cost $50,000 to replace a cesspool with the new system. Select board member Jan Worthington said she worries that people just cannot afford it.
“So, I hope there are grants or efforts available to help,” Worthington said.
Barnstable County offers a loan program at 5-percent interest over 20 years for anyone with a failed system, which requires no money up-front, said Tracey Rose, the board of health chair. —K.C. Myers
