Ben and Amy Pirri thought reopening Ferns, a cherished general store in Carlisle, Massachusetts, that served the town for more than 180 years before closing in 2025, would be fairly straightforward. But as The Boston Globe reported, the sewage problem they faced ran deeper than their own building.
Here's what to know
According to The Boston Globe, the Pirris discovered the property depended on a composting toilet because the lot was too small for a conventional septic system without risking nearby wells.
That finding pushed them beyond Ferns itself and toward an issue in the village center. Small parcels, older septic systems, and closely spaced wells have fueled contamination worries for years.
In 2016, testing at the library found nitrates above drinking-water limits. The Globe also reported E. coli detections at Ferns and Town Hall in 2021 and 2023, and in the school's well this fall.
MIT wastewater expert Susan Murcott said the situation could become "deadly" over the next few decades if no one addresses it.
The matter has also taken on a political dimension. Some residents worry sewer upgrades could pave the way for new development. One resident wrote on the City in the Woods web forum that public water or sewer service could serve as a "beachhead" the state would use to override local control.
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More background
As the Globe noted, Carlisle has long viewed the lack of public water and sewer service as part of its identity. There is less soil available to filter wastewater before it reaches groundwater.
Another issue the Pirris flagged involved the school-linked town treatment plant. The Globe described a mysterious increase in flows there between November 2025 and March 2026, amounting to roughly 750,000 extra gallons of effluent. Town officials and the plant operator said they could not determine the cause and disputed the Pirris' claim that illegal dumping was involved.
Builder Angus Beasley said Carlisle's overlapping committees can stall even relatively small projects. As the Globe relayed, Beasley described the town's governance as "Gridlocracy."
What's being done?
After other options fell through — including a leaching field near a park and a connection to the police station's septic system — the Pirris proposed routing Ferns' wastewater about 2,100 feet to the school treatment plant, an approach the Globe said had been outlined as a possibility.
The plan initially drew skepticism. At a Board of Health meeting in May, Board of Health chair Patrick Collins called the proposal "so outlandish" and said, "The idea that a waste water treatment plant will ever be built in Carlisle in our lifetime is such a pipe dream." Even so, Ben Pirri said he would personally fund the $55,700 engineering study after the Select Board declined to pay.
Town officials told the Pirris to create a sewer committee with members from other local bodies, and the library committee has also expressed interest in connecting to the school plant.
According to the Globe, the Select Board also agreed to hold a town meeting before the Nov. 16 townwide vote on using public money for engineering and design of pipes between the village center and the plant.
Where can I learn more?
Carlisle isn't alone in confronting what happens when aging wastewater systems start threatening drinking water and public health.
• In New Jersey, rising seas are pushing raw sewage into neighborhoods through aging combined sewers.
• Neglected backyard sewage in Alabama's Black Belt has drawn a federal civil-rights investigation.
• Wastewater dumped into the Connecticut River poses serious health risks.
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