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City delays septic fee for a year

LISBON - The 162 property owners in St. Clair Township who failed to hook into a new sewer line will soon be getting a warning letter in the mail from the Columbiana County Health Department.

The health board voted at Wednesday's meeting to have Health Commissioner Wes Vins send the letters which threaten court action if the property owners refuse to hook into the sewer line that services the Substation and Glenmoor sections of St. Clair Township.

There are 445 properties - about 400 households and 45 businesses - located along the main sewer line and branches. Properties within 200 feet of a sanitary sewer line are required by state law to hook in since this project was ordered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The sewer line was installed by county commissioners, but the health department is responsible for enforcing the law. The project was completed about a year ago, and Vins said 162 of the properties have yet to hook in.

The warning letters, which are expected to be mailed out by week's end, give property owners 30 days to contact the health department and make arrangements to hook into the sewer line.

Board President Dr. Jack Amato expects the letter and news stories may solve most of the problem. "Hopefully, people read this and will be willing to join in rather than be forced," he said.

Property owners did not have to pay a tap fee because the county was able to obtain 62 percent federal and state grants to pay for the $9 million project. The construction loans obtained to cover the rest are to be repaid with monthly user fees charged the new customers.

The homeowners are required to pay the cost of hiring an excavator to install a connector line from their house to the sewer line, as well as the expense of filling in the abandoned septic tank. County Engineer Bert Dawson said he heard those costs have been running between $700 to $2,000, and Vins said the letter will advise property owners of possible government funding sources to help them pay the expense.

The law will be enforced through the monthly sewer bill property owners are to receive, regardless of whether they are hooked in or not. If they fail to pay the bill, the Buckeye Water District will be instructed to shut off water service to the property, and the sewer bill will go on the property taxes.

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Property owners to get warning letter

Members of the Boone Lake Association and officials with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation got an up-close look Wednesday at Johnson Citys Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and three new sewer pump stations constructed to provide great capacity to the citys sewer system.

Around this time a year ago, the city held a dedication ceremony for the Johnson City Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was also part of Wednesdays tour. At the same time that project was under way, the city worked to replace and expand three key sewer pumping stations two along Cedar Point Road in the Carroll Creek community and the other on Honaker Court in Gray and install approximately 31,000 feet of sewer line. The stations, which were a half-decade in the making and went online in May, serve the areas of Carroll Creek, Boones Creek and Snyder Creek.

The significance of these stations is that as you have the need for sewer service in the Carroll Creek drainage basin or the Boones Creek drainage basin or other drainage basins north of Johnson City, this will provide future capacity to allow additional sewage flows to be taken to the regional plant, said Tom Witherspoon, Johnson City director of Water and Sewer Services. It will also minimize the number of customers that will have to have septic tanks, which is a concern as far as the water quality in Boone Lake.

Witherspoon said planning on a project involving the pumping stations and sewer lines began about the same time construction started on the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2007. He said the existing pumping stations, which were constructed in the late 1970s, were in need of replacement.

With a lot of mechanical equipment and with capacity, we had gotten about as much use out of those stations as what they were designed for, Witherspoon said. The city upgraded the equipment at the stations, and also added capacity over the existing stations. Each station also has equipment that will send signals to the regional plant, providing information on how each of the pumps are functioning and what flow rates are. The regional plant will also be alerted if there are any issues at the stations, so personnel can quickly address the issue before sewage goes out into the lake, Witherspoon said.

Each pumping station was also constructed with a dedicated standby generator. In the event of a power loss, these generators will allow each station to continue to function and pump wastewater.

Thats good for us, and thats a good thing for the lake, Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon said replacing the stations presented a challenge, as the existing stations needed to remain operational during construction. Construction of the new stations and the sewer line work, which Witherspoon said was publicly funded, cost around $10 million and was completed in two separate contracts.

This is part of our water/sewer capital plan, and it took about five years to deliver this, Witherspoon said.

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New Johnson City wastewater pump station toured by officials

Published: Monday, June 11, 2012 at 7:10 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, June 11, 2012 at 7:10 a.m.

BARTOW - Polk County officials will appeal this week's denial of a zoning permit for a new boat ramp park on Lake Juliana, County Manager Jim Freeman said Friday.

The Polk County Planning Commission voted 5-1 Wednesday to deny Polk County Parks and Natural Resources' request for a zoning permit to develop the new park on a 1.8-acre site off State Road 559 north of Auburndale.

No date has been set for the appeal hearing before the county commissioners.

Planning commissioners sided with lakefront property owners who argued the ramp was unneeded, posed a safety hazard and was a waste of public money.

Parks advocates maintain it's important to expand the public park system and lake access in general, adding the funds for development of the park, which come from a share of boat registration fees, cannot be used for any other purpose.

County parks officials had been working on the project for more than three years as part of an effort to establish public boat ramps on more of the larger lakes in the county at the direction of the Lakes Access Advisory Committee. Freeman announced the decision following Friday morning's budget work session with commissioners.

"Wouldn't it have been better to talk to commissioners individually before making the decision?" Commission Chairman Sam Johnson asked.

Freeman said he made the decision after conferring with County Attorney Michael Craig.

He said it probably wouldn't have been proper to talk to commissioners beforehand since they're the body that will be hearing the appeal.

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County officials plan to appeal boat ramp denial

GROTON -- After a years' long effort, the Lost Lake Sewer Committee are prepared to begin the final lap to have a new wastewater system installed in the environmentally sensitive Lost Lake neighborhood.

At a meeting held Monday night, member Tom Orcutt reported meeting with officials in Ayer updating them on the commission's progress.

Earlier in the year, Groton joined Ayer in an intermunicipal agreement regarding a proposed hookup between a planned sewer line for the Lost Lake area and wastewater facilities in the neighboring town.

The commission has continued to move forward with plans to install a sewer system at Lost Lake, after submitting a final report on its feasibility to the Board of Selectmen last year.

The final report by the Sewer Committee estimated that to serve 390 potential households, it could cost as much as $10 million to install a sewer system in the Lost Lake area, exclusive of a wastewater treatment plant.

Commission Chairman Carol Quinn estimated that if a plan including hook up with Ayer were followed, it would cost each person who owned land along the sewer line between $18,000 and $24,000 each in betterment fees paid over 20 or 30 years depending on the type of loan the town could secure.

Those numbers however, would also be based upon whether the town could secure federal or state grant money for the project or if town residents agreed to cover part of the cost of installation with tax dollars.

To find out

Questions on the survey are to include whether residents were aware of the Lost Lake sewer project; whether they supported the idea; and if they would support paying a portion of the project via taxes and if so, what percentage.

After the results have been received, the committee plans to hold a number of public hearings and informational sessions in the fall before Town Meeting.

Continued here:
Groton's Lost Lake panel continues plans for new wastewater system

Published: Monday, June 11, 2012 at 7:11 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, June 11, 2012 at 7:11 a.m.

DAVENPORT - The bids are in, and costs of a new sewer collection system should be lower than expected.

City Manager Amy Arrington said Wednesday the low bid for the wastewater treatment plant is just under $2 million, which is what engineers projected.

However, the low bid for the sewer collection system to be installed in old Davenport east of U.S. 17/92 was $1.7 million less than projected.

"If that bid is a good one, we're in a good position," Arrington said. "We're waiting for our engineers to verify that everything is good with those low bids."

Based on Reiss Engineering's advice, the City Commission will discuss the issue at its workshop at 7 p.m. today at City Hall.

The commission decided last month to build its own wastewater treatment plant because it was less expensive than hooking into the Polk County's or Haines City's.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been pressuring towns whose residents have septic tanks to build sewer systems to prevent pollution of lakes and streams.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $4.9 million in loans and a $2.3 million grant for to fund the project. The loan will be repaid by charges to residents.

The city has a bond issue ready to go to borrow the funds needed to install the sewer system and wastewater treatment plant but will wait until a town meeting tentatively set for July 12.

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Sewer bids come in lower than expected

Think about it. Most days, we take safe drinking water and efficient sanitation systems for granted. However, when somethings not functioning properly, we rely on plumbers to bail us out.

Whether in our homes where our lives can be quickly turned upside down by a blocked drain, stopped toilet or unexpected leak or public buildings that supply water for drinking, food preparation, washing, showering, swimming and other activities, plumbing is an integral part of the way we live our lives.

Plumbing was important to health yesterday. It is important to health today and will be even more important tomorrow, Dr Jamie Bartram, coordinator of water, sanitation and health for the World Health Organization, said. Good plumbing is one of the key building blocks in protecting and promoting health. A system that provides water through a house or through a dwelling or in a public building that is designed, built and managed properly is critical in ensuring the health of individuals that live and work there.

Thats precisely why you need a license to do plumbing work in most states.

Indianas Professional Licensing Agency requires four years (6,400 hours) in an approved apprenticeship program or four years work experience in the trade for a plumbers journeyman license. You can also have four years plumbing work under the direction of a licensed plumbing contractor for a plumbers contractor license.

We are licensed like doctors and dentists, Terry Cheek of TLC Plumbing in Griffith, said. We are one of the only professional trades that deal with public health.

Cheek, who has been a licensed contractor since 1997, got his start in the field taking shop classes at Hammond Technical Vocational High School. He completed the required 3-year plumbing program in 2 years.

After graduation, I went to work at Inland Steel as a plumber in the mill, Cheek said. However, it wasnt too long before I realized that I really preferred working with people and in the community. So, when I had the opportunity, I applied for an apprenticeship at the union hall and went to work for a local plumbing company. I ended up working there for the next ten years.

With over 30 years of practical plumbing experience, Terry Cheek made the decision to open his own company, and now that company is in its 15th year.

I just got to the point where I wanted to control the quality and quantity of work, he said. There are a lot of good, quality plumbers and contractors out there. There are also some who dont do what they say and hide it, its unreal. I would feel so embarrassed to be associated with that. Thats why I got on my own, so I could control that and always work with good, quality people.

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Plumbers Keep Us Safe and Healthy: Terry and Cindy Cheek have made it their life’s work

Published: Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 10:33 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 10:33 p.m.

DAVENPORT | The bids are in, and costs of a new sewer collection system in Davenport have come in less than expected.

City Manager Amy Arrington said last week the low bid for the wastewater treatment plant is just less than $2 million, which is what engineers projected. However, the low bid for the sewer collection system to be installed in old Davenport east of U.S. 17/92 was $1.7 million less than projected.

"If that bid is a good one, we're in a good position," Arrington said. "We're waiting for our engineers to verify that everything is good with those low bids."

City commissioners will discussing the issue at a workshop Monday.

The commission decided last month to build its own wastewater treatment plant because it was less expensive than hooking into Polk County's or Haines City's.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been pressuring towns whose residents have septic tanks to build sewer systems to prevent pollution of lakes and streams.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $4.9 million in loans and a $2.3 million grant to fund the project.

The city has a bond issue ready to go to borrow the funds needed to install the sewer system and wastewater treatment plant but will wait until a town meeting tentatively set for July 12.

Excerpt from:
Davenport Sewer System Cost Less Than Expected

For the last 14 years, three different public water and sewer advisory committees have examined malfunctioning septic systems in the Pebble Ridge neighborhood in Doylestown Township and determined the area needs a public sewer system.

The results have always been the same. They dont get any better. They continue to get worse as the years go by, sewer committee member Joe Van Houten said when the sewer committee presented its recommendation to residents Thursday night.

And the more we continue to kick the can down the road, the more costs will increase.

But for the last 14 years, groups of 100 or more residents some of them the same, some of them new have said they dont want sewers.

A sewer adds no value to my home. I dont need it. I dont want it, said Dave Murray, summing up the feelings of many.

The sewer committee wants to install a pipe in the street a sewer main in the part of Pebble Ridge that includes Old New Road, Buck Road, Woodridge Drive and the roads that connect to them. There are about 257 homes in the neighborhood.

Engineers determined through visual surveys in 2008 that 15 septic systems were malfunctioning and 35 others could be malfunctioning. The Bucks County Department of Health has said the malfunctioning septic systems are a health and public safety issue.

Some of the homeowners with malfunctioning septic systems cannot replace them because a new septic system is required to be specific distances from the homes old septic system, neighbors septic systems, the homes well and neighbors wells. Scientists from Delaware Valley College and the Bucks County Department of Health have said the soils in the area are clay-like and septic systems wont work well.

Sewer committee leaders said as they have said before putting a pipe in the street (is) the only solution.

Committee leaders said each homeowner would have to pay about $20,480 just to install the sewer main.

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Committee says Doylestown Twp. needs sewers; residents say it doesn't

WENATCHEE A state mandate to reduce the amount of phosphorus discharged into the Wenatchee River could lead to Dryden and Peshastin joining the Cashmere sewer system.

Chelan County PUD commissioners learned Monday that uniting the three systems is one of several alternatives for solving the phosphorus problem by the mandated 2019 target.

The PUD owns the Dryden and Peshastin systems, which together have 200 customers.

Ron Slabaugh, the PUDs water and wastewater manager, says more analysis has to happen to see if the alternative is viable.

Questions remain about whether Cashmere could legally absorb sewer systems that exist outside its urban growth area.

Bob Schmidt, the citys director of operations, said he and Mayor Jeff Gomes are interested.

Its going to have to be couched in such a way so that at the very worst it would do no harm to our ratepayers, and potentially have some benefit, said Schmidt. If you have more ratepayers, typically youre a healthier utility. You have spread costs over a broader base.

Cashmere is about to launch a $20 million upgrade of its existing municipal sewage-treatment system that will leave plenty of room for growth.

If the alternative proves viable, the PUD would plan, design and install pipe that would carry Dryden and Peshastin sewage to Cashmere for treatment, Slabaugh said.

The pipeline and necessary upgrades to the treatment plant would cost more than $8.9 million. Another estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in annual PUD operations and maintenance costs would diminish over time, Slabaugh said.

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Phosphorus clean-up mandate could merge PUD, Cashmere sewer systems