The Pine Plains wastewater committee met on Wednesday, Jan. 29, to discuss next steps in its plan to expand the septic capacity in the town’s business district. Instead of pursuing a central system that would cover all properties downtown — which was initially proposed in November 2021 — the committee is exploring the development and use of shared leach fields in each quadrant around the intersection of Main and Church streets.
Many downtown businesses struggle to meet the Dutchess County septic regulations, which require that properties be able to double the size of a system if needed and mandate setbacks from water pipes and neighboring properties. In some cases, limited property space makes compliance infeasible; in others, the cost is prohibitive. The Stissing Center, for instance, is spending about $600,000 to upgrade and expand its system.
The ad hoc committee, initiated by Town Board member Kevin Walsh in June 2024, was tasked with exploring wastewater options downtown and includes Town Board members Bob Ambrose and Jeanine Sisco, along with Keith Bancroft, Scott Chase, and Ray Jurkowski. “We have no power or authority,” Walsh said. “We can only offer the Town Board information.”
One of the committee’s first actions was to revisit a November 2021 proposal by engineering firm Tighe & Bond for a central septic system that would serve the entire business district. Walsh said that the project’s estimated cost was approximately $4 million pre-pandemic and has since increased. It also required that the town find and purchase land near downtown that could house the system.
Seeking a more affordable alternative, Bancroft, who has experience in excavation and septic systems, proposed last June dividing the business district into four quadrants in which each property would supplement its own septic system by sharing a nearby leach field. A leach field is an underground system of perforated pipes that disperses wastewater into the soil, allowing natural bacteria to filter out contaminants before it reaches the groundwater.
Although they do not have concrete numbers, members of the committee told the Herald they believe the quadrant system will cost substantially less than a centralized wastewater system. And, they believe, there may be state funding that can help the town cover the costs.
State Assemblymember Didi Barrett showed interest in the quadrant approach when the committee presented the idea to her last August.
“We met with Didi to garner support and gain knowledge about the process,” Walsh said. “Didi thought that we were taking an interesting approach to a difficult and complicated process for small municipalities. She offered to help find funding when we got to that point.”
“So many local communities are spending an exorbitant amount on septic systems,” Sisco said. “If we can get even one quadrant operational, it can possibly serve as a pilot for other communities in the area.”
In mid-December, the committee distributed a letter and diagram outlining the proposal to northeast quadrant property owners, asking if they were interested in learning more. A lack of response, perhaps due to the holiday season, prompted the committee to decide on Wednesday to mail certified letters to the landowners, inviting them to a meeting either in person or via Zoom on a date yet to be determined. If interest remains low, the committee will shift its focus to another quadrant.
The boundaries of each quadrant remain flexible and will depend on available land for the leach field. The feasibility of connecting the northeast quadrant to the septic system at the proposed new Town Hall — which is scheduled to be built in 2026 at 8 and 12 North Main St. — has also been considered, though Jurkowski noted that county regulations prohibit leach fields under parking lots.
Despite the slow process, committee members have received positive feedback from business owners, including Thayer Durrell, owner of TLCie upholstery on East Church Street. “I believe it would enhance the possibility of bringing more and varied businesses into town and give a lot more flexibility to the spaces available,” he said.
If 51% of property owners in a quadrant support the plan, the town can establish an improvement district and oversee the system. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 26 at Town Hall.
“It’s a painfully slow process,” Walsh said. “We’re still working out logistics of available land and participants.”