By Matt Kolasinski ? letters to the editor
I”m writing to inform you of an event in Anderson Springs, to be held at the recreation center at Anderson Springs Rd. and Rose Anderson Rd. in Anderson Springs today at 11:30 a.m. The topic of discussion involves consideration of a sewer system for Anderson Springs.
In a letter from Mark Dellinger, Lake County Special Districts Administrator, dated April 27 the community was advised that an engineering company, Water Works Engineers, has been retained to survey Anderson Springs toward the installation of a sewer system.
The letter states, “The new sewer system will collect sewage from the houses in Anderson Springs and convey it to the Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment.”
The subject of a sewer system here in Anderson Springs has been under some consideration since around spring of 2000. The last the community has heard about this was at a meeting about two years ago at which no decisions were reached.
Since then, within just two blocks of where I live in Anderson Springs, I count at least five homes which have installed engineered septic systems, at least 11 homes which are owned by people who use them only as a weekend getaway place, if they”re used at all, and there are a number of homes with functional septic systems.
The projected sewer system would, I understand, involve an assessment of approximately $2,000 per site. In addition, homes with existing septic systems below grade would be required to also purchase and maintain a pump to raise waste to street level.
In addition to the system not making much sense for the above mentioned residences, there are also those here who are on a financial edge for whom the assessment would be a very serious burden.
There are a large number of property owners here who do not live here and cannot attend the meetings. The only discussion, so far, has been at the meetings. Actually, that”s meeting; there has been only one, thus far. Communication with non-resident owners has been nonexistent. At the meeting two years ago, the only source of much information about issues involved with the sewer or it”s cost, less than one-third of the actual owners were present. The rest have received no substantive information about the matter and had no input then or since. An estimated 75 people were present. There are at least 220 owners of developed parcels here and an unknown number of additional owners of undeveloped lots who get no information at all, not being on the water district mailing list.
There has been some discussion of concern about old septic systems leaking into Anderson Creek, but to date no rigorous study has been conducted to document this ? if it”s happening, to what extent and how it might best be addressed.
In an e-mail to Mark Dellinger, I asked for an explanation of how the expense of contracting an engineering survey company had been justified, with the minimal communication with the community and little presented supporting a need for a sewer system here. To date, I”ve not received a reply. I know he got the e-mail.
A number of people I”ve spoken with here got the impression from Mark Dellinger”s letter, with the wording, “The new sewer system will collect sewage from the houses in Anderson Springs and convey it to the Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment,” that the sewer was “a done deal”, while, in a conversation with Meriel Medrano, manager of the Anderson Springs water service, I have been informed that it is far from being so.
There are at least four issues here: 1) the sewer system itself, 2) the issue of how Mr. Dellinger managed to obtain authorization of the expenditure to go ahead with contracting an engineering survey, 3) what Mr. Dellinger means by, “The new sewer system will collect sewage from the houses in Anderson Springs and convey it to the Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment,” and 4) the minimal level of communication between Mr. Dellinger on this matter with the majority of actual property owners in Anderson Springs.
And, you thought the topic of a “sewer system” might not seem very interesting … I hope to see you there.
Matt Kolasinski
Middletown
