Granby Board of Health Moves to Lower Septic Water Table Separation Standard

GRANBY — April 7, 2025 — Granby Board of Health moves toward 18-inch septic water table standard for existing systems. The three-member board reached informal consensus at its April 7 meeting to reduce the minimum water table separation for existing leach fields to 18 inches — down from the four-foot standard applied to new construction — provided a certified soil evaluator conducts a fresh on-site assessment whenever recorded separation is less than four feet. The board also agreed to retain its 100-foot wetland setback as a default while allowing applicants to use the state's 50-foot minimum if a Conservation Commission-vetted wetland delineation is completed first. A well permit for 31 Cold Hill Drive was deferred after the board found no construction specifications addressing an 88-foot well-to-SAS separation that requires a variance. The board directed a registered letter to be sent to the operator of an East Street establishment warning that an operating permit will not be extended past its June deadline without a signed timetable for required septic work.