Will sewer costs bankrupt tiny towns?

Expensive. More expensive. Really expensive. These words sum up the cost of dealing with sewage in Rowan.

Town leaders, experts, and citizens gathered in Rowan March 23 to talk about what to do regarding a sewage treatment system for the tiny town. Currently, buildings in Rowan have septic tanks. A few of those tanks are connected to a proper leach field. But the vast majority are connected to one of three or four tile lines that drain into local creeks and eventually the Iowa River. The state says this has to stop.

Human waste was found coming from the tile lines when tests were done about eight years ago, said David Miller of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The federal Clean Water Act of 1972 makes it illegal to drain a septic system into a creek or river. Rowan has been violating federal law for over 40 years, and it has to stop. The DNR doesnt care what method you use, just that you do something.

Here is whats happened so far:

--January 2008: Rowan received a Notice of Violation from the DNR.

--August 2009: A preliminary plan to solve the problem was presented.

--March 2011: The city was offered a $1.13 million grant plus a $590,000 low-interest loan (40 years at 2.5% interest) from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Development.

--March 2014: City leaders viewed an updated sewer plan.

--Also in March of 2014, Rowan was designated as a Disadvantaged Community which gave city leaders until March 2016 to come up with a general plan, and until September 2018 to submit a compliance plan.

However, the USDA grant and loan offer expires September 30, 2015. So if the town doesnt act by then, it will have to reapply. According to Preston Sandstrom of the USDA, You have to show some progress in the next six months or youll have to apply again. And the money may or may not be there this time. Funding is limited.

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Will sewer costs bankrupt tiny towns?