Portsmouth Residents and the RI Cesspool Act of 2007 on PTW

I hosted the 1 March 2013 edition of Portsmouth this Week and had a discussion with guest Gary Crosby, the Portsmouth Town Planner, about the local implications of the RI Cesspool Act of 2007. This act specifically requires that all cesspools within 200 feet of the water be upgraded to septic systems by 1 January 2014. While this act has been in effect for seven years, Portsmouth is the last town in the state to have it enforced. Unfortunately, this means that those Portsmouth homeowners affected by the law have a fairly short time to respond. 471 Portsmouth residents have received letters from the DEM requiring that they have complied or are contesting the requirement. Less than half of them have responded to date, according to Mr. Crosby. Those that fail to respond or comply will essentially be breaking the law and may be prosecuted.

New septic systems that meet DEM requirements for homes within 200 feet of the water can be very expensive - upwards of $30,000 per home. While no funding or loan support for home owners is currently available, there is a possibility that low cost (2%) loans may be available in the future. This issue will have a major impact on those Portsmouth residents affected by the law. Watch the entire video for details.

Portsmouth this Week, "The Voice of Portsmouth Town Hall," is a weekly public service television program started by Town Administrator, John Klimm. It airs on Public television (Cox channel 18) on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM. It can also be seen by clicking on the video box above or from links on the Portsmouth Town website www.portsmouthri.com and the Portsmouth Economic development Committee website www.portsmouthriedc.com