The Mathews County Board of Supervisors gave the green light Tuesday night for the possibility of implementing an alternative septic system at Hole in the Wall restaurant on Gwynn’s Island. The system could potentially solve the septic issues that the business has been facing.

Supervisor Michael Rowe brought the matter up during the board’s meeting in the historic courthouse, saying that he along with supervisor Amy Dubois met with a representative from Environmental Services of Virginia, who completed a wastewater condition assessment of the site.

According to Rowe, the ESV representative did not recommend installing a new drain field to help alleviate the problem, as he could not guarantee that it wouldn’t fail in the near future. However, the representative did recommend a Clearstream alternative system, which is basically a small sewage treatment plant designed for homes and businesses.

Rowe said the first step in getting the system is having county staff work with ESV to fill out and apply for a permit for the alternative system. “This would be a permanent fix,” Rowe said. “And there is no fee to apply.”

He said the cost of such a system would be in the order of $23,000 to $30,000.

“Who’s going to pay for it?” asked supervisor Charles Ingram. “We’re responsible per the lease agreement,” Rowe said.

The county owns the property that Hole in the Wall restaurant sits on and leases it to the owners of the business. From January to July of this year, Mathews County had paid over $15,000 to pump and haul sewage from the restaurant. Meanwhile, the annual lease payment on the property is $8,100.

According to the lease, the business owners have a cost-share agreement on septic services.