HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-04-25, Page 3News
Egmondville residents face
decision of joining sewer system
Susan H u n d e r t m a r k
Egmondville residents are faced
with an expensive decision.
They can opt to continue an inves-
tigation into joining the Seaforth
sewage system with an estimated
cost of $21,000 per household and no
guarantee of assistance from the
provincial or federal governments.
Or, they can face more stringent
standards for septic tanks, which
politicians are predicting will lead to
mandatory $350 inspections every
five years and for some, the need to
spend $20,000 to replace an old" and
faulty septic system.
"It's a tough decision. Give it the
24-hour rule and really think about
it," Huron East Mayor Joe Seili told
a crowd of close to 300 Wednesday
night at the arena.
The issue of Egmondville connect-
ing to the Seaforth sewage system
was raised after a few Egmondville
residents asked Huron East if a
planned expansion to the Seaforth
lagoon included enough capacity for
Egmondville.
Huron East council responded by having a
$7,500 preliminary engineering study done to
determine the potential costs and holding
Wednesday's meeting to share the results and
to ask residents if they want to continue
investigating the need with an environmental
assessment that will cost approximately $500
for each household.
Seili said that after hearing two years ago
that the province expected all water and
sewer systems to be self-sustaining by 2011,
investigating sewers for Egmondville before
all the grant programs ended seemed like a
good idea.
"Maybe we could get some of our money
back," he said.
Bruce Potter, an engineer with B.M. Ross
and Associates, said that 85 per cent funding
was available for such projects 20-30 years
ago, more recently the level is about 66 per
cent.
As well, municipalities have to prove a need
before applying for funding.
"We are at the very infancy of the investiga-
tion. Council is ready to have a baby but not
ready to do anything but talk about it and
they need your advice," he told the crowd.
After determining in the preliminary study
that four areas in Egmondville need to be
hooked into the sewage system - two- into
existing sanitary sewers and two that would
need to be pumped into the system - Potter
said the cost is estimated at a total of $5.4
million for the 265 households in
Egmondville.
Matt Pearson, senior planner with B.M.
Ross, said an environmental assessment will
involve conducting 30-45 minute interviews
after on-site investigations with residents
about their current septic systems to deter-
mine the need for a communal sewer system.
"Some may think their own septic system is
functioning okay but collectively, it may not
B.M. Ross engineer Bruce Potter points to a municipal map
displaying the layout of a possible sewer system in
Egmondville.
be. We have to find out," he said.
Pearson said 50 to 70 per cent of the tanks
were installed before the health unit started
keeping records so he will be looking for evi-
dence of faulty septic tanks such as wet spots,
seepage and pollution in ditches.
"We want to do the study in the spring or
fall when the conditions are wetter," he said.
Potter said the three components of the
costs include the actual sewers and manholes,
the individual service to
each lot and the pumping
stations required.
"The costs are borne by
those who benefit and the
longer it takes to do it, the
more the construction costs
go up," he said, adding that
residents could be charged
a frontage rate, a lump
sum per lot or a combina-
tion of both.
Seili said residents will
likely be charged to join
the sewage system over a
15 or 20 year period but
anyone who wants to will
be able to pay it all at once.
"I don't think there's too
many here who can write a
cheque for $20,000. But, if
the county says you need to
put in a new septic system,
you won't have a choice,"
he said.
Seili was asked by an
audience member how
seniors were going to be
able to pay the money
required.
"Am I going to be reim-
bursed for my septic
See EGMONDVILLE, Page 8
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