The Cost to Connect

The Cost to Connect

Phase 1 of the Town’s Clean Water Plan includes sewering an area from Drew and Butler lanes in the north to roughly the intersection of Yardarm Drive and Simon Narrows Road in the south. The area is generally bordered by Orchard Road on the east and the intersection of Quinaquisset Avenue and Route 28 to the west. (See map and a street-by-street listing)

The cost to connect to the sewer must be privately financed and is the responsibility of the property owners in the area but low interest loans and a substantial tax credit are available for that purpose. Connections will not be required until the sewer lines are installed, which is scheduled for the end of 2024.

● Total properties requiring a connection: 439

● Cost to connect: This varies primarily based on how far a home is from the street but typically connections on smaller lots will cost less. In Falmouth, where properties resemble those required to connect in Mashpee, the average cost was $4,000 to $6,000, which included septic system abandonment costs. The actual cost could be higher or lower based on a variety of factors. For example, in Chatham, where lots are typically larger and houses set back farther from the street, the median cost was $8,438 and the range between $2,880 and $23,828.

● Grinder pumps: Less than 20 properties will need pumps, which will be provided by the Town at no cost to the owners of such properties.

● Annual cost: Once connected, sewer rates will be based on operational costs and usage but the exact figure cannot be estimated at this point. Other towns on the Cape with sewers use differing methods to calculate their rates; in Falmouth the average annual cost is $500.

Tax credit: The cost to connect to the sewer line can be reduced up to $6,000 through a 40 percent state tax credit, which reduces your tax bill directly on a dollar for dollar basis.

Property owners can choose to pay their contractor in full at the time of the connection from cash on hand, seek private financing, or take advantage of the following programs to spread the costs out over 20 years:

Barnstable County Community Septic Management Loan Program

● Rate: 5 percent

● Income limits: none, but taxes and mortgages should be up-to-date; special circumstances are considered

● County pays directly to contractor

● More information: barnstablecountysepticloan.org

Mashpee Health Department loans

● If county declines loan approval, the Town’s health department will provide loans

● Rate: 5 percent

● Income limits: none but decisions are made on a case-by-case basis

● More information: mashpeema.gov/board-health

There are efforts underway to reduce the interest rate for both loan programs to as low as zero, which will be decided well before the loans are required.

Below is a street-by-street listing of the area where sewer connections will be necessary. Some streets are only partially in the sewer service area. (See the map for more detail)

Antunes Avenue, Ashers Path East, Brewster Road, Butler Lane, Carleton Drive, Chatham Lane, Christopher Lane, Clipper Street, Compass Drive, Dennis Road, Drew Lane, Eagle Drive, Egret Court, Falmouth Road, Harwich Road, High Sachem Road, Mashpee Neck Road, Matchewuttah Road, Orchard Road, Papnomett Road, Pine Road, Porthole Drive, Quinaquisset Avenue, Rainbow Lane, Sewall Drive, Ships Anchor Drive, Ships Lantern Drive, Ships Rudder Drive, Ships Wheel Drive, Shipwreck Drive, Strawberry Avenue, Swain Circle, Topsail Road, Truro Road

Sewer Area Mashpee