By Healthcare Facilities Today

The state of Massachusetts is suing a Sudbury nursing home for failing to repair and upgrade its septic system, according to an article on the Boston Business Journal website.

The complaint alleges that the owner of the Sudbury Pines Extended Care Facility Inc. has refused to construct a new sewage disposal system as required by the state Department of Environmental Protection. A preliminary injunction was entered in court requiring the facility to put interim measures in place to control the sewage overflow.

The state said the deteriorating septic system poses a public health risk, and that the nursing home has been responsible for longstanding violations of the facility’s groundwater discharge permit. The complaint alleged that in early January 2014, the septic system discharged untreated sewage onto walkways and a parking lot at the facility.

According to the article, the facility owner acknowledged that a valve broke on one of the septic systems in early January and there was a spill of about 20 gallons of sewage. She said it was repaired the next day and there have been no problems since. A pipe on another of the septic systems is set to be repaired and, for now, that tank is being pumped once a week.

The nursing home, which receives most of its revenue from Medicaid and Medicare to care for low-income elders, has had a tough time financially since floods damaged the building in 2010, according to the owner, who said the upgrades to the septic system would cost $1.5 million.

Read the article.