Historic Town Faces 'Doomsday Scenario' as It's Overrun with Sewage

Historic town faces 'doomsday scenario' as it's overrun with sewage

Residents have had to use backyard septic systems and wells, but sewage has leaked into the earth and E.coli has infiltrated the wells.

Carlisle is a pristine Colonial gem. But a ‘doomsday’ sewage problem could make its village center uninhabitable. - The Boston Globe

Septic systems are failing. Wells are set too close to leaching fields. The drinking water — at Town Hall, the library, and the school — keeps setting off alarms for contaminants.

This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way

This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way Zachary Whalen Thu, 10/22/2026 - 07:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption Carlisle’s general store, which Ben and Amy Pirri are trying to reopen. The picturesque town of Carlisle, Massachusetts, which is virtually unchanged from colonial times, has a dirty secret: there is no hygienic, or safe, way to dispose of sewage. The result is E. coli in the town’s wells, conta…

Carlisle, MA weighs engineering and design for a possible Town Center wastewater connection.

Carlisle, MA weighs engineering and design for a possible Town Center wastewater connection.