As a regular segment of YOWA’s newsletter, we will be interviewing local Health Directors to inform our readers about health departments throughout our region, the challenges they encounter, advice for our profession, and how YOWA helps them do their job.
The Spring 2025 column features an interview with Foxborough, MA Director of Public Health, Matthew Brennan.
What is the community you work for like and roughly how many onsite wastewater systems are built in a given year?
MB: Foxborough, MA – The Health Department receives around 100 permits to install or repair septic systems each year. That equates to roughly 300 or so inspections each year.
What is the staffing configuration at the health department, and how many people work either full-time or part-time with onsite wastewater?
MB: The Health Department in Foxborough has three inspectional staff and one administrator. The inspectional staff is made-up of one full time health agent, one inspector, and a part-time sanitarian. The part-time sanitarian is able to conduct most of the Town’s Title 5 inspections. However, the two other full-time staff members assist when scheduling complications or workload issues arise. In addition, they write correction orders when needed for systems that are not inspected prior to sale, or systems that fail Title 5, and other relevant tasks.
What are some of the challenges you find with implementing Title 5 in your community?
MB: Title 5 takes a lot of Town resources to implement properly.
Administrative staff in the Health Department need to know how to look at property sale data to ensure that documented home sales have Title 5 inspections, that Title 5 inspections are properly referred for failures or repair, and that we get all the relevant paperwork and plans for new installations or repairs.
Inspectional staff in the Health Department needs to have the relevant training such as Soil Evaluator and System Inspector Training, which can be difficult to sign-up for due to demand. In addition, many inspectors don’t have a background in soils or engineering which they need to develop through experience.
Agents in the Health Department have to follow-up with the non-compliance issues and referrals from Building and Planning Departments.
In all, Title 5 is a challenge because it touches everyone in the community at some point. Without all the working parts of a fully functioning health department, issues quickly spread and may become a problem for your community and environment.
If you could change any part of the Code, Title 5, what would it be, and why?
MB: The new technologies can be hard to keep up with. All AI Systems have subtle differences that Agents and Inspectors need to know about. Also, some systems come with maintenance requirements, which can be difficult to keep track of. Especially owners who are not maintaining their FAST systems as required. Health Departments are already spread so thin, added complexities to the system and maintenance requirements can make it more difficult for all involved. Just because we have a technology, it doesn’t mean people are going to use it properly. I think the more uniform and simpler we can be, the better Title 5 will be, for everyone.
What are some of the parts of managing onsite wastewater that you feel your health department does well?
MB: I’m lucky to have a great staff who is knowledgeable and experienced with Title 5. We take a lot of time answering questions and providing information about properties to homeowners, realtors, engineers, installers, and whoever wants the information about a specific property. We also have recently changed to an on-line permitting system to make it easier for the engineers and installers that apply for permits with us on a regular basis. Ultimately, we try to be a team player and help every project in Town succeed.
Is there anything an organization like YOWA can provide to enhance the professionalism of the on-site wastewater industry or just in general help you do your job better?
MB: I’d love to see some industry recommendations based on typical variance requests and/or local upgrade approvals that we see within local Health Departments. I think if Health Departments had something to refer to, when the groundwater was shallow, the field size was reduced, or any request from an applicant that came in, it would give new inspectors and individuals new to the field more confidence to solve the problem appropriately. It would also help communities be more standardized with their recommendations and keep the variance/upgrade approval process more standardized and simpler.
What advice would you give someone entering the local public health profession?
MB: Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Most engineers and installers have made a living doing Title 5 work and would love to help people new to the industry. Don’t be afraid to get dirty, practice describing soils and if you see a soil that you haven’t seen before, ask the excavator to get it. Lastly, don’t be afraid of engineering plans. Checklists can simplify the plan review process and make it much more simple and less overwhelming.
