Cumberland Farms on Old Post Road closed due to failed
septic system
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| That's not rain water. Photo taken by Matt Dowling Monday afternoon |
By Will Collette
Update: according to the Westerly Sun, Cumberland Farms issued a statement saying “A small amount of surface water was found during inspection of the septic system" and that their engineer is looking into it. If the pools of sewage show in the photos are "small amounts," I'd hate to see what constitutes large amounts.
Even a brand-new, state-of-the-art denitrification system can lead to costly trouble. The Cumberland Farms store on Route 1A (Old Post Road) was ordered closed by the RI Health Department until Cumberland Farms can bring their system into compliance.
Even a brand-new, state-of-the-art denitrification system can lead to costly trouble. The Cumberland Farms store on Route 1A (Old Post Road) was ordered closed by the RI Health Department until Cumberland Farms can bring their system into compliance.
Charlestown’s Wastewater Management Officer, Matt Dowling,
spotted pooled “water” on top of the store’s Advantex bottomless
sand filter system, indicating failure.
When he returned to the site with his kit and camera, he documented the pools
of sewage on the ground (see Matt’s photos). He took immediate enforcement
action, formally notifying the franchise owner, VSH Realty of Johnston, of the
system failure and the town’s enforcement action compelling the store to pump
away the sewage to keep it from pooling on the surface or flowing off the
property.
He also ordered Cumby’s to set up a barrier to keep people
off the site. If you look closely at Matt’s photos (see one of them to the right), you’ll see human footprints
in the muck.
Matt also notified the RI Health Department. When DOH came
in on Tuesday, they ordered the store closed. When the store suffered a similar
failure last year, they were allowed to keep the fuel pumps going, but nothing
else. At present, the entire business is closed, but a similar limited
arrangement may be allowed.
When I checked out the store on Wednesday afternoon, the
entire store was closed. A steady stream of patrons came over to try the front
door, and when finding it was locked (and the store dark), they read the notice
taped to the door that the store was closed (duh).
As my photo (left) shows, Cumberland Farms promptly complied with
Matt’s order to fence off the area and make sure no sewage broke the surface. Given the heavy overnight rain, it was impressive to see the site so dry.
However, a permanent fix that will allow the store to reopen
is likely to be a problem. In an interview, Matt told me that the type of
system that was installed last year was an approved system with the right
average flow rating – as was the failed system it replaced.
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| One of several customers I saw who tried the door, despite no lights inside and a sign on the window |
But the system design apparently didn’t factor in the
special challenges posed by a coffee shop/convenience store. Matt said that in
addition to all the effluent from the rest rooms, there’s also the problem of
dumped coffee and perhaps dumped milk. Dumping a lot of organic waste like that
down the drain can overload and clog the system. A lesson for all of us.
Under the Health Department’s closure order, Cumberland
Farms has 60 days to submit an application to DEM for their system. Given that
this Cumby’s site is now a two-time loser using the bottomless sand filter
approach, I’d expect Cumby’s will tell its engineer (presuming they don’t fire their engineer) to come up with a
new approach that will work. Click here
to see Cumby’s permit.
Getting DEM approval for a new system is going to tack on
more lost time and sales revenue for the store.