Bellingham Board of Health Suspends Septic Hauler's Permit Through December 31

BELLINGHAM — November 19, 2024 — Bellingham suspends septic hauler's permit over missing waste-disposal records. The Board of Health voted unanimously Tuesday to suspend the operating permit of Michael Mashan, doing business as Marad Mechanical Environmental, through December 31, 2024, after multiple hearings failed to produce certified transporter manifests accounting for effluent removed from 419 Maple Street. Vice Chair Richard Marinelli, who drove the enforcement action, noted that nine invoices totaling roughly $121,000 submitted to client Blue Links appeared inconsistent with Mashan's claim that only about 8,000 gallons of septage were removed and disposed of. Town Counsel Jeffrey Blake advised the board that Title 5 regulations and Massachusetts General Law Chapter 111, Section 31B authorize fines of up to $1,000 per day per violation, but cautioned that a fine mechanism would be difficult to enforce given the evidentiary gaps. If Mashan does not deliver a completed transporter manifest from Duie Transport by December 31 showing the effluent reached the Anson Madison Sanitary District, his permit will not be renewed for 2025.