Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has assembled a stakeholder group to review Title 5 and Groundwater Discharge Permit regulations.
The MassDEP received comments on the regulations, which govern septic systems and pollutant discharges to groundwater (310 CMR 15.00 and 314 CMR 5.00), during the regulatory review process initiated by Gov. Charlie Baker’s Executive Order 562. Stakeholders requested that the regulations be reevaluated.
Some of the feedback that MassDEP received from various stakeholders concerned coordination between state and local requirements, including possible implementation of a statewide Title 5 code; design flows for different types of property; use of new technologies; and requirements around nitrogen-sensitive areas.
As a longstanding policy, the MMA supports state regulation of underground septic systems as a minimum standard for maintaining drinking water quality, but maintains that cities and towns have home rule prerogatives to impose more restrictive septic system regulations due to local conditions.
The stakeholder group held its first meeting in April. The MassDEP anticipates that additional meetings will be held with experts and stakeholders to discuss the issue.