Board votes for outhouse vs. septic

NORWAY —  When a property has a failing septic system, the landowner has a maximum of 30 days to fix it or to find an alternative toilet, said Plumbing Inspector Joelle Corey-Whitman at the June 21 selectmen meeting. 

She said that a property owner is expected to fix the problem within 10 days, but also has the option to apply for a 20-day extension through the town if they need to. 

Corey-Whitman said she has been working with a man in town, whom she refused to identify, whose septic system has failed. 

Thus, "he went out and ingeniously built himself an outhouse," she said. 

"And there's nothing wrong with that," she said. "They are legal to have." 

"Unfortunately," she told the selectmen, "the outhouse is on someone else's property, and it is also too close to an abutter."

According to Corey-Whitman, while its legal for the man to have the outhouse, the outhouse itself is not legal.

"It needs to at least be a four-foot drop from the seat," she said. "He doesn't have that; it's just a bucket in the ground." 

Of course, said Corey-Whitman, the man's outhouse must meet code. 

It will also need to be surveyed, and the soil beneath it will need to be tested, which could cost about $300, she said. 

The man's driven-point well, which is beneath his trailer, has also failed him, said Corey-Whitman. "He is unlikely to fix it," she said, "so he has no mechanical means of getting that water into the house. Therefore, he's allowed to have the privy," she said. 

According to Corey-Whitman, for about nine months, the abutting property owner has not been pleased about the outhouse and has requested for it to either be removed or for it to meet the required distance it needs to be from abutting properties. 

She said the property it sits on is only .2 acres, which may not be big enough for a septic system. He could get an easement from one of his abutters, she said. 

Corey-Whitman said that, by law, if the landowner doesn't have the means to fix their failed system, the town must step in and help in some way.  

"I need to ... at the very least, get a septic system built," she told the selectmen. 

Though the man doesn't have a well, he does have access to drinking water in the home. Selectman Russ Newcomb pointed out that, if the man does dishes, he has greywater, which Corey-Whitman said would require an alternative system, plus a privy. 

The other option, she said, would be to install a full-blown septic system. 

However, the best option, she said, would be to hire someone to test the soil and design a privy – and on his own property. 

"It's not going to be a quick fix," said Corey-Whitman, "and I need to fix it within 30 days." 

Town Manager David Holt said he was on board with re-building the outhouse to town specifications, and believes it would be "the least expensive alternative." 

The board voted to hire someone to complete a soil test and to design a new outhouse for the property.