The impacts of new homes on water and sewer depend on the specifics of the community. Developers must include on-site water and sewer infrastructure to support residential, commercial, or industrial uses. This service could be an independent system or a connection to an existing water or wastewater utility district. There is great variability in the conditions under which new development can connect to an existing utility; and how associated capital costs are allocated. Some communities work with developers to ensure adequate infrastructure upgrades for specific districts or developments are completed by leveraging local and state funding.6 Under most circumstances, new development increases the base of ratepayers to pay for maintenance and improvement. This is particularly important as utilities deal with issues such as aging lines, PFAS, and nitrogen sensitive areas – more ratepayers can mean lower per-person costs for necessary infrastructure. In some cases, municipalities are also eligible for funding to support water and sewer infrastructure improvements related to affordable housing development through state and federal grant programs such as the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program, Community Development Block Grants, Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund, and Asset Management Planning Grant Program.7
In communities where private wells and septic systems are common, developers often must include independent water and/or sewer systems on site and navigating these regulations can be challenging. Title V of the Massachusetts Environmental Code establishes standards for on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems, which were enacted by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and administrated and enforced by the local city and town boards of health. These can serve as prohibitive barriers for certain project sizes or in communities with particularly stringent regulations that are feasible because of the costs of meeting the regulations. Current limitations on the use of on-site sewage disposal systems lead to projects with 90 bedrooms or fewer, because projects above this size require the construction of a private-on-site wastewater treatment facility, which is expensive and requires constant oversight by MassDEP. Due to the regulations and the cost of the required system and potential income from rents or sales there is a gap in the commonwealth of projects between 90 and 200 bedrooms – outside of areas served by sewer systems. 8
Many towns and cities have adopted local septic systems.9 10Water and sewer considerations should be considered when deciding where to build new homes and development in areas with existing resources should be encouraged over development in areas with strained resource or no infrastructure. For example, zoning that allows for denser housing can help to reduce wastewater collection costs and the size of lawns to be maintained.11 However, when development occurs in areas where water resources are not abundant or areas that are not already served by sewer, municipalities can put policies in place to create water neutral growth and work with housing developers and the state overcome challenges. For example, Littleton is in the process of expanding sewer capacity in its downtown to support economic development. Littleton plans to fund the project with multiple sources, including federal and state funding and loans from the state’s Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund.12 Examples of water neutral growth policies include water demand offset policies, requirements that new development meet efficiency standards, recycled water use, and fee-based water offsets where developers pay into a fund that supports water conservation.
Management of water resources will be more important than ever as climate change increases the occurrence of both floods and drought. Managing water resources requires considering how to mitigate the impact of new and existing homes. New construction has the potential to use water resources more efficiently. Towns and cities can manage their water resources by encouraging conservation and innovative means of enabling growth while also protecting water resources. For example, the Ipswich River Watershed Association has advocated for “Water Neutral Growth” and created a guide for municipalities on the measures that cities and towns can take to ensure that new development is resilient through enacting enhanced conservation programs.13