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December 22, 2024 Clouds | 19°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN TO EXEMPT CERTAIN ECO-TOILET INSTALLATIONS FROM SEWER CONNECTIONS AND ASSOCIATED BETTERMENTS IN THE TOWN OF FALMOUTH

     Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:
     SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the board of selectmen of the town of Falmouth may grant exemptions from future sewer connections and betterment fees attributed to sewer construction for homeowners or business property owners who are chosen to participate in Falmouth’s eco-toilet demonstration project by installing either composting toilets or urine diverting toilets, or any combination of the 2 for purposes of this section, called “eco-toilets”, in all sanitary facilities on their premises. Participants shall agree to participate in the eco-toilet demonstration project and adhere to all the requirements of the eco-toilet demonstration project. All eco-toilets installed for the demonstration project shall comply with 310 CMR 15.000 and 248 CMR 10.000.  The board of health shall implement a town-authorized monitoring and inspection plan approved by the department of environmental protection. The plan may include the assessment of a reasonable fee by the board of health to implement the monitoring and inspection plan.
     SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a property owner may, at the discretion of the board of selectmen after a public hearing, opt to connect to the sewer system and shall retroactively pay betterment fees if the property lies within the sewer service area and complies with the comprehensive wastewater management plan approved by the department of environmental protection.  The board of selectmen shall adopt regulations within 120 days after the adoption of this act establishing publication and notification procedures to carry out the purposes of this section.
      SECTION 3.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.

Approved, April 14, 2014.