SHELBY – Ongoing discussions regarding the septic system update on West Main Street in Shelby sparked a debate at Shelby City Council on Monday evening.
City officials in Shelby have long been in talks about updating the residencies on West Main Street from septic systems to the city’s sanitary sewer system. These talks were further validated by new state sewage rules from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that were passed on Jan. 1, 2015 that set a minimum standard for Ohio homeowners with septic systems.
In light of this rule change, the city of Shelby began inspections of the 24 total septic systems affected by the rule changes on West Main Street. According to Utilities and Streets Commitee Chair Nathan Martin, of these 24 systems, 17 were inspected for proper operation with eight found to be compliant and four not passing inspection.
“We’ve been looking at this for a few years now,” Martin said. “It was deemed that we wanted to see when the new rules went into effect how broadly it would actually apply to West Main Street.”
According to Martin, the four systems not passing inspection were due to not having a leach fill, discharge tank lines draining off-lot, and two storm sewer catch basins near those properties tested positive for pollutants from those septic systems. Reports and recommendations were given to the owners who had their system inspected.
“Now that we have this information, I think it’s important that City Council come up with what our next steps are going forward,” Martin said. “I know we’re looking at various options including putting sewer out there to service those 24 residences. Now that we have the information and the citizens involved in this have the information of how close their systems are to failure to where they would need major upgrades, it may be more cost-effective to go to a sewer system for them as well.”
Upgrading from a septic system to the city’s sanitary sewer system does not come without a price tag. According to Utilities Director John Ensman, prices to the homeowner could range from $9,000 to $18,000 for repairing septic systems near failure, or from $12,000 to $20,000 per homeowner depending on the method the city chooses to update to the sewer system.
This did not sit well with some citizens in Shelby present at Monday’s council meeting. Chris Fuller, a resident of 343 W. Main St. affected by the project, expressed frustration that the residents on West Main Street would struggle to afford such a project.
“My wife is a schoolteacher and I work a factory job; we make ends meet but it’s not easy, and now you want to come and dump a $20,000 bill on us. It’s rough,” Fuller said. “Nobody told me when I bought this house three years ago we’d have to dump another $20,000 into some type of sewer system. How are we supposed to worry about a sewer system when I know I’ve got a septic that works and passed inspection?”
Martin explained the problem with the septic systems on West Main Street are the significant failures residents either currently face or will face in the near future as septic systems surpass their lifespan. Registered Sanitarian Andrea Barnes noted the problem is also not limited to those on West Main Street, though the area has the highest concentration of older septic systems.
“Any house on a sewage treatment system eventually is going to have to face what we’re facing here,” Barnes said.
“I don’t see how that can happen,” Fuller responded. “I’m not going to put a new septic system in, we’re not going to put a sewer in, I’m not going to pay for that. If mine goes bad I’ll tap into it, but other than that I’m not paying for a sewer system I don’t need. This is very frustrating.”
Seth Herrnstein, a Mansfield resident whose three children would be affected by the septic system updates in Shelby, also expressed concern for the cost of the project.
“I think you guys could make this a lot easier on yourselves if you simply allow those who have compliant systems to be grandfathered in, and when those fail they will pay the assessment and tap in,” Herrnstein suggested. “Move forward with the update, it needs to be done and you need to fulfill your requirements to the state, but what you don’t have to do is put the burden of the cost on 24 residents out there. I think you’re misguided in saying these 24 residents are responsible for the infrastructure that is going to benefit all of Shelby, that is almost grievous.”
Councilman Garland Gates pointed out a provision in the charter of the city of Shelby that states if the city moves forward with the sewer project update, the residents affected would not be footing the entire bill.
“The charter of the city of Shelby states that the city shall pay such part of the cost and expense of improvement as the council deems just,” Gates said. “The city has to front 2 percent. The council has to look at what’s happening and determine what’s just, and that’s what part the city will pay.”
The first thing Shelby City Council would need to do in moving forward with the project is to pass a resolution of necessity, which would then move to a board of revision of assessments populated by the city’s mayor, finance director and law director. Affected property owners would be notified by mail and have an opportunity to meet with the board to air their grievances.
“The board then reports to council and council will decide whether to go forward with the project,” Gates said. “Assessments can be made in 20 payments over a 10-year period.”
The proposed septic system update was met with approval by multiple Shelby residents on Monday evening. Dan Crum, a resident of 362 W. Main St. for the past 36 years, recalled being a young homeowner who was a little naive about septic systems, and having his first problem with the septic system in 1982.
“Obviously now the system is failing,” Crum said. “At this point in time, I would ask that you go ahead and really give this serious consideration. We have state regulations, we have to live by these things. Mine didn’t fail, but is the neighbor’s going to fail next week or next year? They’re all a problem.”
