Eastham Board of Health Approves Four Septic Upgrades on Environmentally Sensitive Lots

EASTHAM -- May 28, 2026, Eastham Board of Health unanimously approved four Title 5 septic upgrades and opened the 2026 beach sampling season at its May 28 meeting. All four properties, at 65 Harms Way, 20 Bridge Road, 1055 Bridge Road, and 1205 Herring Brook Road, had systems in confirmed failure on environmentally sensitive lots bordering coastal resources, wetlands, or riverfront zones, requiring innovative alternative treatment units as a condition of approval. Engineer John O'Reilly, representing the Garritys at 65 Harms Way, described the site as "sandwiched between Cape Cod Bay and a rather large salt marsh" and noted the Conservation Commission had already issued an order of conditions. Engineer Rick Grady's 20 Bridge Road plan combined flow from a main house and a rear cottage through a 221-foot force main, with property owner Paula Patrica confirming on the record her intent to connect to municipal water, added as a formal condition. The board also cut effluent sampling at 15 Bonaya Road from four times to twice yearly, settling on a May-and-November schedule after rejecting a May-and-September proposal as too narrow a seasonal range.