Orleans Board of Health Authorizes Phase 2 Sewer Connection Letters After Pump Station Clears State Approval

ORLEANS -- March 19, 2026, Orleans Board of Health unanimously authorizes Phase 2 sewer connection order letters as pump station clears state approval. The five-member board voted five to zero Thursday to direct the Health Department to distribute connection order letters to Phase 2 property owners at its earliest convenience, after the state Department of Environmental Protection issued an operating authorization for the Town Hall pump station on March 12 and the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners accepted substantial completion of the Phase 2 infrastructure the day before the meeting. The board amended the standard letter language to clarify that the six-month hearing right applies to owners who believe their property is exempt from the connection requirement, not to those seeking a time extension. "It's kind of an exciting time after two and a half years of construction," said the town's sewer representative, who noted the letters will not be dated April 1, a condition written into the motion itself. The board also voted five to zero to extend a cesspool upgrade order at 63 Old Field Road to October 31, 2026, citing the property's constrained access road, the owners' good-faith engagement with the Health Department, and the procedural reality that a disposal works permit cannot be issued until variance hearings set for April 2 are completed.