Colonial Massachusetts town’s ‘doomsday’ sewage problem might make it uninhabitable

A picturesque Massachusetts town is facing a sewage crisis residents have dubbed a “doomsday scenario,” with experts warning that contaminated drinking water could eventually make its historic village center uninhabitable.

Carlisle, located about 20 miles northwest of Boston, has no public water supply or municipal sewer system. Instead, residents rely on private wells and backyard septic systems, many of which are aging. The problem is particularly concerning in the historic village center, where homes and businesses sit close together on small lots, some about the size of three basketball courts.

Conventional septic systems filter wastewater through surrounding soil, but limited space and the town’s fractured bedrock can make it easier for contaminated wastewater to reach nearby drinking wells.

The contamination has already raised concerns across the community. Wells at Ferns Country Store, a general store that served Carlisle for more than 180 years, and Town Hall tested positive for E. coli in 2021 and 2023. The bacteria was also detected in the local public school’s well last fall, while nitrate levels at the public library exceeded drinking water standards in 2016, according to an investigation by The Boston Globe.

Susan Murcott, a wastewater expert and lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, warned that if the situation remains unaddressed, it could become “deadly” in the coming decades. When asked by the Globe whether she meant the crisis could threaten property values, Murcott clarified that the danger was “to human beings.”

The issue has gained renewed attention after Ben and Amy Pirri, a couple who moved to Carlisle during the COVID-19 pandemic, attempted to purchase and reopen Ferns, which closed in 2025.

The couple initially expected to reopen the business without major complications.

“We’ll just turn it back on,” Ben Pirri recalled thinking, he told the Globe.

Instead, they discovered the property could not accommodate a conventional septic system without potentially contaminating nearby wells. Ferns relied on a composting toilet because there was insufficient space to safely dispose of wastewater through a traditional septic system.

The Pirris initially set out to reopen Ferns as a cafe and community gathering place, but eventually expanded their efforts into a proposal to address the village’s broader wastewater problems. The store remains closed for now.

They suggested connecting the property to an existing, town-owned wastewater treatment plant serving the public school, which would require approximately 2,100 feet of piping. Town administrator Ryan McLane initially called the idea a “moonshot,” but subsequent investigation found the school’s treatment plant had unused capacity that could potentially accommodate additional wastewater, according to the outlet.

McLane declined The Independent’s request for comment.

The proposal has faced resistance from officials and residents concerned about the cost of new infrastructure and its potential impact on Carlisle’s historic character. Some fear a municipal sewer system could encourage development and undermine the town’s rural appeal.

During a May 27 Board of Health meeting, board chair Patrick Collins dismissed the possibility of constructing a municipal wastewater system, calling it “such a pipe dream.”

Pirri pushed back, asking: “Is Carlisle town center not somewhat in crisis? Do we not need a better solution for wastewater in town? You don’t think so?”

The controversy intensified after Pirri questioned an unexplained increase in wastewater passing through the school’s treatment plant between November 2025 and March 2026. Records showed approximately 750,000 gallons of excess wastewater effluent passed through the facility during that period, according to the Globe.

Pirri suggested illegal dumping could have contributed to the increase. However, town officials and the private company operating the facility said they could not determine the cause and denied that illegal dumping had occurred.

After the Select Board declined to fund an engineering study examining the proposed connection, the Pirris offered to personally cover its $55,700 cost. Their efforts have since gained support from residents, with the local library committee also expressing interest in connecting to the school facility.

The Select Board has agreed to hold a townwide vote on November 16 to determine whether public money should be spent developing engineering and design plans for sewer pipes connecting the village center to the existing treatment plant.