Hadley Board of Health Unanimously Warns Walton Excavating Over Septic Permit Violations

HADLEY — August 14, 2025 — Hadley Board of Health issues unanimous warning to Walton Excavating over a septic system installed out of conformance with permitted plans at 94 Hockanum Road. Health Director Ben Eisner ordered the company to appear before the board after confirming the installed system deviated significantly from engineer Paul Steisberg's approved drawings, including positioning the leach field approximately 24 feet from a riverbank. The excavator, identified as Wayne, told the board he had worked from the original plans without knowing the house had been relocated roughly 60 feet on the lot, a change he said he was never informed of. Eisner argued that a routine property-line measurement would have caught the discrepancy independently of any communication breakdown, and pressed Wayne on why the system's proximity to the water had not triggered a call to the engineer. Wayne committed to marking out property lines on future jobs before installing any system; Eisner recommended a warning rather than license suspension, and the board voted unanimously to issue it. A redesigned system plan is expected to be submitted to the board once Steisberg completes the drawings.