County Gets Report From Health Officer On Lakeland Regional Sewer District
Posted
Tim Robertson-trobertson@timesuniononline.com
Kosciusko County Health Officer Dr. William Remington spoke to the county commissioners Tuesday about requests by two groups to annex the Chapman and Tippecanoe lakes areas to the Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
The LRSD was formed to establish a sewer system around the Barbee Lakes chain. Dan Lee, representing property owners calling themselves the Chapman Lakes Environmental Watch, and David Tyler, representing a group called the Lakeland Environmental Task Force, presented petitions requesting the annexation of the two areas at the commissioners' Sept. 30 meeting.Tuesday, Remington told the commissioners the Kosciusko County Health Department generally supports installing sewers in lake areas.
"Sewering is ultimately a desirable thing from a health department point of view, wherever we see a lot of residential growth," Remington said.
Remington said health department officials are often faced with the challenge of helping residents fit adequate septic systems for large houses on small lake area lots.
"We find it tough to find space many times," he said. "As these lots get increasingly small with development, it just gets increasingly tough."
Remington said, though sewers may be good for the area's health, "There is a process issue when it comes to sewer projects."
He said he thinks it is important for supporters of the annexations to get input from their communities.
"I sense there is great potential for a successful project in the Barbee Chain right now," he said. "I would hope now, this attempt to annex a couple of sizeable lake areas wouldn't jeopardize this."
However, Remington said, in the long run, his department supports the installation of sewers to both areas identified in the petitions.
"Our long-term goal is certainly to sewer these lakes," he said.
Tyler said state statute only requires petitioners to show need for the establishment of a sewer system. He said, through independent studies by engineering firm Bonar Group, his and Lee's groups have demonstrated the need.
"We did not attempt to market or sell the idea to the community," Tyler said. "We did the study and determined the need."
In their petitions, both lake area groups cited state surveys, which indicated evidence of a many lake area lots too small to meet the specifications for septic systems, heavy residential development, including an increase in the number of year-round homes, bathrooms and washer machines and the unsuitability of the soil types in the area to support healthy septic systems.
Tyler and Lee said they feel it is important for their areas to join the LRSD before the state identifies them as problem areas and requires them to complete a state-led project with less local input than they feel they will have with the LRSD.
"We don't have to annex to the LRSD today," said Tyler, "but we can't put it off forever."
The commissioners will make a decision at their Oct. 28 meeting on whether to carry the petition to the LRSD board.
