A sprawling resort community was once expected to surround Liberty Mountain, near Carroll Valley.

Cabins were supposed to be built on small land plots that would dot the mountainside. Retirees would flee to the area to enjoy various nearby recreation opportunities.

But it never quite happened as it was envisioned.

Charnita, as Liberty Mountain Resort was known in the 1960s, was named after its owners, Charles and Anita Rist, according to the Resort's website. The Rists started to build a rustic residential development, but they went bankrupt in the 1970s.

Snow Time Inc., owners of Ski Roundtop, bought Charnita. After that, properties that were once thought ripe for development were left vacant. With delinquent taxes piling up on them, county officials have begun selling them through the county's unsold property repository.

Commissioners approved final sale prices for 60 properties this week. School district and municipal officials have to offer their approval as well on the properties' final sale prices.

One property is priced at $15,000, three are listed around $1000. The rest range from $300 to $800.

Many of the properties have failed to pass percolation tests required to install septic systems, county officials said. That is partially why the planned development never fully materialized decades ago.

When the Charnita development was conceptualized in the 1960s, what is now Carroll Valley Borough did not have development guidelines like the ones in place today, said Jim Martin, Adams County commissioner. There was no thought of percolation, he said.

But buying adjacent tracts allows neighboring property owners to acquire bigger yards, driveways or possibly obtain a property that is fit for water and sewer hookups.

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Adams County sells 60 Charnita properties

Missoula County commissioners bent the ear of U.S. Sen. Steve Daines new field representative Tuesday and asked for the senators support in passing the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, and to help free up funding for a planned Seeley Lake sewer system.

Commissioners also asked Dylan Klapmeier to relay their concerns to Washington, D.C., regarding pipeline safety, and to ask the Montana Republican to support an amendment by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that would retroactively fund the Secure Rural Schools Act.

The program expired last September and was not reauthorized by Congress. The act provides consistent funding to counties that include U.S. Forest Service lands.

If that was reauthorized right now, it wouldnt include the last year, so wed basically have a years gap in funding, said Chris Lounsbury, the countys chief operating officer. In Missoula County, thats just shy of $1 million in road and school projects.

Wyden has introduced an amendment to the Keystone XL pipeline that would retroactively fund the Secure Rural Schools Act. Doing so would also restore roughly $70,000 in fuel mitigation to the county, Lounsbury said.

It has a huge impact to Missoula County, he said. Sen. Wyden is looking to make sure it goes retroactive, and wed certainly support Sen. Daines taking a look at that.

Klapmeier introduced himself to county commissioners and staff Tuesday and asked for their concerns regarding state and federal legislation.

A planned sewer system in Seeley Lake topped the county's list of concerns. Commissioner Jean Curtiss said the system has been designed and funding has been allocated for construction.

But the final funding source is being held by the Army Corps of Engineers, and only the Senate can appropriate the money. Curtiss asked for Daines help in releasing the funding.

Our goal is to ensure this improves public health in the community, but doesnt financially make it too burdensome for the folks who live there, Curtiss said. There are a lot of pieces to this, and that last piece keeps holding it up. Its just a matter of appropriating the money.

Originally posted here:
Missoula County shares forest, pipeline and sewer requests with Daines' rep

LAKE ELSINORE: Lakefront building to be allowed

Revised zoning regulations in Lake Elsinore soon will soon allow property owners to build custom homes and other structures on the northeastern shore, activity that has been banned for over three decades.

FRANK BELLINO , FILE PHOTO FRANK BELLINO

Selected Permitted Uses: Custom single-family residences; hiking, bicycle trails; jet ski, boat rentals; private boat docks (with permits); restaurants

Uses with Planning Commission Approval: Athletic fields; campgrounds, picnic areas; RV and trailer parks; hotels, inns, rental cottages; limited small retail businesses; playgrounds; tennis courts

For years, owners of properties along Lake Elsinores northeastern shore have clamored for the right to build there.

They soon will have that right as a result of City Council action this week. The council voted 4-0 Tuesday night, with Daryl Hickman absent, to approve revised zoning in an area dubbed the Lake Edge District, which wraps around about two-thirds of the lakefront that is within the citys jurisdiction.

The most significant change in that district is a newly created lakeshore zone stretching between Elm Grove Beach park near downtown to the northwest corner of the lake, about where Lowell Street meets Lakeshore Drive.

Once the revision becomes effective in about 45 days, property owners within that zone will have the right to install custom homes and even restaurants, hotels and tennis courts if permits are obtained.

Such development hasnt happened since the early 1980s when a huge flood wiped out nearly all housing along the shore. While a few homes remained, the city banned further development there because of the flood potential. That possibility was has greatly reduced, however, after the Army Corps of Engineers reconfigured the lake, including the installation of a levee at its southeast end.

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LAKE ELSINORE: Lakefront building to be allowed

This week is an important one for the Greater Woods Bay Sewer District in its long-running quest to connect to Bigforks wastewater treatment facility.

Pat Smith, the districts chairman, was scheduled to testify before a legislative committee in Helena Tuesday, making a pitch for $10 million to be included in Gov. Steve Bullocks infrastructure bill. The funding would allow the Woods Bay project to be built.

It all comes down to whether the Legislature thinks its a viable project, Smith said Monday, noting how past infrastructure bills have involved a tug-of-war between different communities across the state. Eastern Montanas oil-boom communities, stressed with public infrastructure needs, have figured prominently in Bullocks infrastructure bill.

Smith and Woods Bay water and sewer district supporters believe they can make a strong case for converting properties that depend on septic systems to a municipal sewer system. Their argument starts with the ecological health of Flathead Lake.

Smith said septic systems function properly for 10 to 15 years, but he is aware of some systems in the Woods Bay area are 30 to 50 years old. Water testing of wells in the Woods Bay area has revealed that there has been a slow, but steady, increase in phosphates and nitrates, compounds that are known to degrade water quality in Flathead Lake, Smith said.

The $10 million would allow the district to build a pipeline to the Bigfork wastewater treatment facility, and install a collection system tied to 620 properties that rely on individual septic systems, Smith said.

We need this to happen, Smith said. Were just trying to figure out when and how. Its something everyone agrees we need to do.

Smith said the Woods Bay districts efforts have been underway for 11 years, and the district is now poised to proceed if the legislative funding comes through. The district has been working closely with the Flathead Lake Biological Station, the Flathead Lakers and the Flathead Basin Commission, and Smith said the project has considerable support.

He was scheduled to testify in Helena before an appropriations subcommittee on long-range planning, which is doing initial work on House Bill 5, which will provide for infrastructure development projects across the state for the next two years.

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Woods Bay sewer district appeals to Legislature for $10 million

HAMILTON COUNTY, TN (WRCB) - A local disabled veteran says he has been given the run around by county officials and has lost thousands of dollars in the process. Tom Meighan is trying to build a home to retire in. He began developing his property for a septic tank installation after he received a letter from Hamilton County's Water and Waste Water Treatment explaining his property did not have sewer availability. Meighan spent thousands of dollars even sold his home and put all of his belongings in storage only to find out months later, he must connect to a sewer line across the street. "As a disabled veteran after all these years I had in the military, it hurts a lot," said Tom Meighan. The Regional planning commission approved Tom Meighan's plans to subdivide his 5 acre property into 5 separate lots Monday January 12th. The approval letter stated his request would be approved subject to the following condition:"Connecting the property to the existing public sanitary sewer line provided by Hamilton County WWTA. However, if this sewer line connection is not feasible, as supported by HCWWTA, then approval of the site for the use of septic tanks must be granted."Meighan is trying to sell his current house and the remaining four acres, leaving him with one acre and room for a smaller house closer to Ootlewah-Ringgold Road. "I just want to build a retirement home that's all my wife wants is to build a small retirement home so we can go out to do mission work for our church," said Mieghan. Meighan says connecting to the County's existing Sewer line across the street would cost him nearly $40,000 dollars. The line would have to be ran underneath the highway. After receiving the letter from WWTA saying the property did not have sewer availability, Meighan started funding the development for a septic tank. "It was a lengthy process we had to have soil scientists, Surveyors and on top of that had to do a new sewer line of the home... and we got permission to do all of these things," said Meighan. $8-thousand dollars later Meighan says he was told he can't install a septic tank at all, instead he must connect to the sewer line that is across the street."It's not feasible or cost effective for us to do that," said Meighan. Officials say defining what is or isn't a feasible cost to connect, is tricky. "The state says if sewers are available to the property they have to connect to the sewers," says Cleveland Grimes, Executive Director of WWTA. "It's not up to me to determine what is feasible or not." Channel 3 Eyewitness News asked Grimes about Department's letter stating the property did not have sewer availability in the first place. "I tried to follow up on that letter but he obviously he didn't talk to me so you know that letter has no signature on it... so I don't know who sent that letter to him," said Grimes. Meighan says the entire ordeal has put him in the hole financially. For a septic tank to be installed, we're told Meighan would have to contact State officials to challenge the law. Officials say if he were to develop his 5 acres into 5 separate lots, he would be required by law to make sure a sewer line is ran to each lot. Meighan says running a sewer line down his property line of 5 acres would cost an estimated $160 thousand dollars. He says it would also force other neighbors currently using septic tanks, to tap in on the available sewer line.

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Disabled veteran loses thousands of dollars trying to build retirement home

Years of study and debate over Dresbach's proposed sewer system may be put to an end by the Winona County Board on Tuesday. Last month, the Winona County Planning Commission recommended that the County Board deny a conditional use permit (CUP) application by that would allow Dresbach Township to build a community sewer plant. Dresbach residents themselves are divided on the issue. The CUP is a land use permit and many residents are concerned about land use matters, but the financial impact of the proposal has been very controversial, as well. Both supporters and opponents have large amounts of money at stake. Now, the County Board will be asked to decide: should Dresbach build its sewer plant as proposed?

Squeezed between the river and Interstate 90, the unincorporated riverside hamlet of Dresbach has tiny lots that date back to the days of steamboats. Those tiny lots have left numerous residents with no space to install new septic systems when their old ones fail. There are alternatives that require less space, but they are expensive and Dresbach Township leaders have said that some lots do not even have space for the alternative options.

State regulators have identified several septic tanks in the community as "imminent threats to public health" because of leaking wastewater. Sooner or later, many of residents in Dresbach must either replace their septic tanks or hook up to a sewer system.

So the township has been studying options for developing a community sewer system. Davy Engineering estimated the system would cost $3.6 million. Everyone who owns property in the sewer system service area would be required to pay for the system, both those who are in need of a wastewater solution and those who are not. According to the township's estimates of per capita costs, the sewer system would be more expensive than even the most expensive on-site wastewater treatment options; however, a potential grant to cover 50 percent of the project cost would drastically change the comparative cost.

The proposed site of the sewer plant is a gravel parking lot that serves the nearby park and boat landing and is surrounded by homes. Some neighbors are OK with living next to a sewer plant and some are not. Many said their home values would drop if the sewer plant were built. Other residents have concerns that there would be parking congestion if the parking lot were developed. For these reasons, the Planning Commission recommended denial of the permit, though Planning Commission members also discussed the cost and whether the community supported the project anymore.

The Dresbach Town Board at least one member opposes the project, though a majority apparently supports it sent the County Board a letter stating that the proposal does meet the CUP criteria and that a CUP should be granted. They stated that the parking lot is seldom used and that the sewer plant would not negatively affect neighboring properties. The Town Board also stated that high fecal counts were measured in drainages leading to the river. "This is a critical health issue," the Town Board wrote.

The County Board received a slew of letters from Dresbach residents in support and opposition to the sewer plant. "I want you to know that I oppose the sewer plant project and don't know how I would play for it," wrote Dresbach resident James Thesing. "We have an obligation to support our neighbors and help them become compliant with [U.S. Enviornmental Proection Agency] recommendations]. We owe it to the next generation and the future owners of our homes in our picturesque river town," wrote Mariel Carlisle.

Derek Nordeen, a neighbor to the proposed treatment plant site, wrote to the County Board explaining that he has no objection to the proposed site, and describing the sewage plant as "direly needed" infrastructure.

Resident Jenny Curran wrote the County Board urging them to deny the permit, arguing that the plant would make their community unattractive to visitors and new home buyers and would eliminate much-needed parking for the boat ramp. She also claimed that more than 50 percent of Dresbach residents had signed a petition against the sewer plant.

Another set of neighbors to the proposed site, Allen and Kathleen Engel, wrote, "we would not want a sewer plant this close to our property." They raised concerns over parking and added that "the monthly fees for the sewer would overwhelm us financially."

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Last chance for Dresbach sewer?

When James Matulis bought his first home on Spokanes North Side a few years ago, he had no idea of the problem brewing in hisbackyard.

There werent any red-flag warnings, Matulis, who lives in a 1930s-era rancher off Northwest Boulevard, said. But the toilet soon began burping, as he phrased it, and then backups becamecommon.

After several visits from city inspectors and private contractors who all said Matulis should have been hooked up to a 36-inch sewer main that ran by his home, a more in-depth search revealed that instead a cesspool was collecting waste in

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Spokane Conservation District photo

A worker from Poul Construction inspects a sewer trench at Elsie Macks home in Spokane Valley last year. The Spokane Conservation District helped Mack out with a low-interest loan to install the sewer line when the city required her to hook up herhome. (Full-size photo)

Those wishing to receive septic assistance should contact the Spokane Conservation District at (509) 535-7274. Interest rates on loans range from 3.6 to 5.6 percent, depending on income, and last for five years. Once an application is completed, accepted homeowners must seek three competitive bids and submit all paperwork to the district for approval. For more information, visit spokanesepticloans.org.

When James Matulis bought his first home on Spokanes North Side a few years ago, he had no idea of the problem brewing in hisbackyard.

There werent any red-flag warnings, Matulis, who lives in a 1930s-era rancher off Northwest Boulevard, said. But the toilet soon began burping, as he phrased it, and then backups becamecommon.

Original post:
Low-interest loans offered to fix failing septic systems - Thu, 15 Jan 2015 PST

COBURG, Ore. After years of at times heated debate the wait is over in Coburg.

Tuesday night city, county and state leaders held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Coburg City Hall to celebrate the opening of its Wastewater Treatment Plant, a $26 million project giving the community clean water.

Coburg is one of the last cities of its size in Oregon to install a sewage drainage system.

Many residents are saying the wait has been long enough after theyve had to deal with a failing septic tank system for years.

Its been many many many years and its about time. It needed to be done a long time ago, said Linda Egbert, Coburg resident.

It was disgusting. And we were essentially as a city just living in our own filth, said John Thiel, former Coburg resident.

Before the installation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant homes in Coburg were on septic tank systems, which were leaking into the ground.

Now theyre connected to a sewage system which pumps to the treatment plant.

This project has been in the works for year and the cost is highly contested by some businesses.

We actually have to close down a whole sewer plant that we had originally had here on the property. Thats turning out to be a very significant amount of money, said Joseph Bergtram, Premier RV Resorts Manager.

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Wastewater Treatment Installed in Coburg

BALTIMORE, Md. - Authorities say a Laurel, Delaware woman is convicted of environmental crimes after they say she rigged an illegal system to divert raw sewage into a Chesapeake Bay Tributary.

Attorney General Brian E. Frosh made the announcement Monday. He says Marie J. Marius, pleaded guilty last week to misdemeanor charges of water pollution and the improper alteration of a sewage system at a home she owns with her husband on Bi-State Boulevard in Delmar, Maryland.

Frosh says Marius must pay $12,000 to the Maryland Clean Water Fund and perform 75 hours of community service. Retired Judge John L. Norton also ordered during her sentencing in Wicomico County District Court that she will be on probation for three years

"When people willfully and knowingly take steps that harm our environment, we will not tolerate it," Frosh said. "This was an egregious case, and I am glad that justice was served."

Frosh said the case stemmed from a complaint lodged by tenants who moved into the house in 2013. In February 2013, authorities say the tenants contacted the owners, Marius and her husband, Darnell, to tell them that sewage was backing up into sinks and the bathroom tub, the toilet wouldn't flush, and that strong odors were permeating the house.

Authorities say the Mariuses then hired a worker to install a discharge pipe from the failing sewer system into a wooded area of the backyard, which is adjacent to Wood Creek. The pipe allowed sewage to flow into the creek, which is a tributary of the Wicomico River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The tenants told Wicomico County health officials that Marie Marius came to the property to monitor the work being done, as well as to provide payment to for the installation.

After pleading guilty, Frosh said Marie Marius was sentenced to pay a $35,000, with $23,000 suspended, meaning she must pay $12,000 immediately. She also received a six-month jail sentence, which was suspended.

Frosh also said the contractor, Charles Elzey, was charged with two counts of water pollution and 11 counts of installing or altering a sewage system without a permit, and the case is scheduled for trial in Wicomico County Circuit District Court in February.

Police say the illegal system was in place for several months. The septic system has since been repaired and the environmental damage cleaned under the direction and supervision of the Wicomico County Health Department.

Frosh thanked the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Unit, including Assistant Attorney General Michelle Barnes and unit investigator Bill Schmidt, who worked with the Wicomico County Health Department on the case.

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Wicomico Homeowner Convicted of Illegal Sewage Discharge

photo by Joe phalon

Residential and commercial properties will soon be able to hook up to the newly installed sewage system in the Pompton Plains business district of Pequannock.

Modern technology is coming to the business district in the Pompton Plains section of the township. While the outhouses may have been replaced by indoor plumbing decades ago, that plumbing will soon be able to be hooked up to the sewage system that has been under construction for the past year.

The township will be taking possession of the system from the contractor after all inspections and punch-list items have been completed, said Township Manager David Hollberg, most likely in the next couple weeks.

The portion of the system west of the railroad right-of-way, part of a $13 million project to install sewers in several areas of the Pompton Plains section of town, including the neighborhood known as The Village, is all but complete, Hollberg said. Work on the areas east of the railroad, which include The Village, are continuing on schedule, he said, with a completion date expected later this year.

Homes on Sunset Road and side streets, such as Leeland and Atwood avenues, will also be able to hook up to the system, Hollberg said.

Although hooking up to the sewage system and disconnecting from septic systems is mandatory, most homeowners will have up to three years to complete the process, Hollberg said.

Some businesses, however, are expected to want to hook up quickly, Hollberg said. Quick Chek convenience store on Jackson Avenue has indicated it would like to connect as soon as possible. Quick Chek relies on a sealed septic system, which requires emptying several times a month.

In general, Hollberg said, the ability to hook into sewers should improve the business environment in the area.

"We hope this will make the area more attractive to businesses that consume a lot of water, such as restaurants," he said. Just this week, Friendlys on the Turnpike abruptly closed, and last summer, Gillys, a restaurant just a few blocks north, also closed with little notice and remains shuttered.

Read more:
Sewer project is about ready to be hooked up