Proposed Sewer System Faces Challenge from Some Residents

The plan to install low-pressure sewer systems in two Farmington neighborhoods which have for years relied on environmentally troublesome septic systems is now closer than ever to becoming a reality, but as the project continues to move forward, some residents are not happy with the plans.

According to Town Planner Jeff Ollendorf, there have been a number of environmental issues due to septic system failure in the neighborhoods of Fairview Drive/Orchard Road and Woodruff Road/ Shady Lane/ Blue Ridge Drive.

As Water Pollution Control Facility superintendent William Kaminski explained, the lots in those areas are not ideal for septic systems.

“Lot sizes in those areas are small and it leaves little to no room for error,” Kaminski said. “Many of those homes were built in the '50s and they didn’t have the same regulations or the same concerns as we do now, so there is a very real danger of contamination.”

To alleviate the septic-system problem, Farmington has for several years now been attempting to replace the septic tanks in those areas with a traditional sewer system.

In 2007, under a sewer policy which saddled homeowners with 75 percent of the cost of sewer installation, residents of the two neighborhoods were given an estimated price tag of $28,000 per household to connect their homes to the proposed sewer.

In response to the proposed $28,000 assessment, Fairview Drive resident and Board of Education member Jon Landry founded the group Fairness for Fairview, a grassroots organization composed of area homeowners who objected to the proposed sewer's cost.

 "We thought that $28,000 was an outrageous price to pay and it would have been a huge burden to the homeowners,” Landry said.

In reaction to the objections of Fairness for Fairview, the Town Council formed a subcommittee to reevaluate the town’s sewer policy. In 2010, after the policy had been revised, residents were given a modified price tag which started at a cost of $10,000 for a 20 square-acre property.

Content with the revised assessment, Fairness for Fairview disbanded, but residents grew concerned again when during a November 2010 meeting of the Water Pollution Control Authority, a low-pressure pump system — rather than a traditional gravity sewer system — was proposed for the two neighborhoods.

Fearing that a pump system, which relies on an electrical pump in each home to move waste to a central sewer main, could fail during a power outage, Landry and other residents are once again raising their objections.

But according to Town Engineer Russ Arnold, there is no reason for concern.

“There are a number of safeguards in place in the case of a power outage,” Arnold said. “Since those homes are on well water, a power outage would mean that there wouldn’t be any water coming into their homes, so there wouldn’t be any danger of waste getting into their homes either.”

Once its final decision is made, the WPCA will make a recommendation to the Town Council and the sewer proposal will then become part of the November referendum. If approved, construction should begin in the summer of 2012 at a cost of roughly $4 million, according to Arnold.

Before the final decision is made, the WPCA will hold two public meetings to answer questions regarding the proposed sewer systems. For the Woodruff Road / Shady Lane / Blue Ridge Drive area, a meeting is scheduled for Mar. 23, at 7 p.m in the Jeff Yates Conference Room of the Farmington Police Department. A meeting for the Fairview Dr. / Orchard Road area is scheduled to be held Mar. 31, at 7 p.m., also in the Jeff Yates Conference Room of the Farmington Police Department.