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

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