Property owners to get warning letter

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