The state Agency of Natural Resources could have issued an order to stop the discharges into the river, but that would have made the homes uninhabitable. So rather than evict 14 families from their homes, ANR decided the problem was a town problem. The state suggested that St. Johnsbury extend its municipal sewer line two miles to reach the affected lots. So the town began a series of studies which continually pushed forward the need to make a decision that would cost real money. And the law constantly stood in the way.
State law says that only municipalities can make a direct discharge into a watercourse.
The 14 families would have to create a wholly new municipality, and they would have to hire a skilled technician to manage the touchy ultraviolet disinfection process. That could only be used for municipal systems, not private systems. And so it went , for decade after decade. But neither state nor town could find a way to stop the straightpiping. This year saw an apparent breakthrough.