Granby Board of Health Sets $800 Septic Permit Fee for Red Fire Farm

GRANBY — July 15, 2025 — Granby's Board of Health set an $800 septic construction permit fee for Red Fire Farm and deferred action on two tank-replacement applications lacking inspection records. Board member Richard Bombardier said the Red Fire Farm project — involving a grease trap, a 30,000-gallon tank, a 2,000-gallon pump chamber, and an expected minimum of eight inspections — warranted double the standard $400 residential fee, with language to be added to the permit barring free reinspections caused by design deviations. Member Lee Spain disclosed that the plumbing inspector has not been looped into the project and has raised concerns, and that the project designer has pushed back on compliance with Massachusetts stormwater standards. The board also approved septic designs for 159 School Street and 44 Morgan Street — the latter receiving a one-foot water table separation variance for an Elgin system — and asked staff to track down soil evaluation documentation before accepting a title five report for 121 Amherst Street whose passing water table result surprised inspectors. A public hearing on new board of health regulations is set for July 29 at 6:45 p.m.