Proposed affordable housing project heads to Marshfield's special town meeting

MARSHFIELD – A citizen-led petition will ask residents whether the town should get the state Department of Environmental Protection to comment on a proposed 40B development.

This is the only question up for a vote at Monday’s special town meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the Marshfield High School auditorium. Town officials removed a question on school roof repairs.

A group of citizens called “Stop the Big Dig” brought the petition forward specifically over the 56-unit, eight building apartment complex proposed east of Ferry Street and the bridle path. Fourteen of the units would be affordable and Pembroke-based homebuilder Sealund Corp. is the developer.

Outcry over Marshfield 40B project: 'This is not about affordable housing. This is about the water.'

The development would have eight septic tanks, one for each building, treating about 9,700 gallons of wastewater per day using a new type of denitrification system. The project sits within the town’s Water Resources Protection District, which encompasses the town’s wells and aquifer recharge areas. Marshfield also supplies water to parts of Duxbury, Scituate and Pembroke.

Water quality is the concern at proposed Marshfield development, neighbors say

The development’s potential impact on water quality was the chief reason the group opposed the project. The name of the group refers to the planned removal of 150,000 cubic yards of gravel and sand as part of the project, and the group is worried that this removal would result in a smaller buffer between the septic systems and the aquifer below.

The group also believes the size of the development could have a negative impact on the aquifer. And while the type of denitrification system proposed is sufficient at removing nitrates from wastewater, the group wants to know how “forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, could also be tested for or removed from the wastewater at this project. The state does not have a standard for PFAS and septic systems.

“We want a higher authority than our local boards to weigh in on this,” said Mary Taylor, the lead citizen on the petition.

Even if the petition passes the special town meeting, the town’s select board, and boards of public works, health and zoning would not be forced to ask DEP for its opinion on the project.

Even if Marshfield town meeting votes yes, the town isn't legally bound to do anything

While certain development-related warrant articles have gone before town meeting, Marshfield Town Counsel Robert Galvin said he has "never seen one like this."

“It’s nonbinding,” Taylor acknowledged. “This is a pressure campaign to let the town know we value clean water.”

The public works board took a strong stance on the project, going so far as to hire its own expert, Quincy-based engineering and consulting firm Environmental Partners, to study the aquifer for $120,000. The firm offered recommendations to the zoning board: reduce the number of units, install monitoring wells or consider requiring the developer to connect to municipal sewer if the nitrogen exceeds the limit.

“We can engineer our way out of a lot of problems, but it’s very expensive and after the problem is made, people’s health is at risk,” Taylor said.

The developer’s representative disagreed with the firm’s findings, saying that the town’s health board director indicated the proposed septic system complies with state requirements. The representative offered to hire a consultant who could work on limiting PFAS materials used during construction of the project.

The zoning board closed the public hearing on the Ferry Street project on May 28 and has 40 days to vote.

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Marshfield special town meeting focuses on 40B project, water quality