A picturesque Massachusetts town is facing a sewage crisis residents have dubbed a “doomsday scenario,” with experts warning that contaminated drinking water could eventually make its historic village center uninhabitable.
Carlisle, located about 20 miles northwest of Boston, has no public water supply or municipal sewer system. Instead, residents rely on private wells and backyard septic systems, many of which are aging. The problem is particularly concerning in the historic village center, where homes and businesses sit close together on small lots, some about the size of three basketball courts.