To the editor:

A common sense approach to Marion’s sewage lagoons is needed. Selectman Henry was right when he said that it is a waste of time arguing whether the lagoons are leaking or not. The most sensible approach is to have CDM work on how to line the lagoons and what it will cost. We agree.

The lagoons were constructed in 1971 and are unlined. They are an outdated technology. The town itself has been aware of the possibility of the lagoons leaking for more than a decade. In January 2010, our Board of Selectman approved a study by the Horsley Witten Group to investigate whether the lagoons were leaking. That study found high levels of nitrogen in the groundwater underneath the lagoons.

Thousands of taxpayer dollars could be spent to determine how much, how quickly, and the exact paths the pollution is taking as it makes its way through the groundwater table to Marion’s waterways, including Sippican Harbor and Aucoot Cove. But to what end? The lagoons are outdated, ineffective holding tanks and, therefore, must be fixed.

This is common sense. We have acres of raw sewage sitting in holes in the ground.

From a planning and cost efficiency perspective, now is the logical time for the town to incorporate an engineering solution to the lagoons as it embarks on an $18 million water/sewer upgrade plan.  It is senseless to spend millions to repair the water/sewer infrastructure only to send wastewater up to the lagoons to leak through the bottom and pollute groundwater again. The Town should fix the leaky lagoons at the same time it is fixing the rest of its pipes.

While we support an investment to fix the lagoons, we cannot in good conscience support wasteful town spending in further study of an obvious problem.

Join us and contact the Board of Selectmen to urge them to follow Selectman Henry’s lead.  Do not waste time and money on more studies – invest instead in the solution and fix the lagoons.

Laura Ryan Shachoy
Michael Moore