Date: 5/18/2021
Failing Septics on Bradford Drive and all 5 High Areas of Needs has be ignored by the Town of Agawam since the houses were built in the 1970s.
High levels of fecal coli continue to contaminate the local bodies of water from the failing septic tanks. Sewage and harmful pollutants are leaking from the failing septics into nearby bodies of water and streams, residents yards and backflowing into residents homes. Since the houses were built in the 1970s, Agawam officials have skirted legal requirements and taken no action to prevent pollution and protect the South West Feeding Hills bodies of waters and streams, residents health in their homes, and cost the residents over $40,000 on average each to attempt to comply with Title 5 septic requirements for septics not suitable for the soil in which they sit. The area’s water pollution crisis and the health of the residents demand action now.
Residents having to alter their lifestyles by washing clothes at laundry mats, taking less or shorter showers, doing many things to reduce the water entering their septic tanks to avoid having the septics fail; Agawam officials are treating these residents as if they do not exist and do not matter.
Agawam’s mayor is requesting $10 million of sewer construction for the current Agawam sewer system; including $1.1 million of odor control for the School Street Pumping Station. While Agawam’s mayor said there is no money to fund sewer expansion in Feeding Hills.
Why is Agawam’s mayor putting Agawam’s residents above the health and safety of residents of Feeding Hills and the waters of Feeding Hills?
The cost to complete Bradford Drives; one of the 5 High Areas of need for Wastewater remediation is around $2 million. Bradford Drive is 0.4 miles away for the current sewer system. Contamination of the fecal coli alone for Bradford Wetlands is 600 organisms of fecal coli per 100 ml of water. Kathy Wetlands is 2100 organisms of fecal coli per 100 ml of water. Eight of the 10 bodies of water tested have unsafe levels of Fecal Coli. Tighe and Bond believe the fecal coli is from the failing septics.
Tighe and Bond contracted by Agawam officials in 1988 created “The Report on Community Septics” stated the Glacial Till/HardPan of the native soils make the land not suitable for septics and the small lot sizes under ½ acre of the lots are not suited for septic systems.
The 1972 “Report on Sanitary Sewer System Expansion “ Master Plan created by Tighe and Bond for Agawam officials lays out plans for Bradford Drive and South West Feeding Hills Sewer construction. When we asked Agawam for the 1972 plan; it was sent redacted by the town of Agawam. We demand the unredacted “Report on Sanitary Sewer System Expansion” from 1972.
Agawam’s plan for Phase 1 sewers included Bradford Drive, but Agawam officials cut out any area of need including Bradford Drive from Phase 1 sewers. Agawam has zero plans to fund the completion of Phase 1 and the start of Phase 2, 3, 4, 5.
Time is now for Agawam to fund the South West Feeding Hills Sewer Expansion.
William Clark
Feeding Hills
