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WINONA LAKE - John and Lorrie Gunter don't want to be uncooperative. Nor do they object to doing their part.
They just don't understand why it has to cost so much.
The Gunters, 2925 E. Joshua Drive, and their neighbors are being required to tie into Winona Lake's sewer system even though they have fully functioning septic systems.
That isn't what bothers them, though. What they have a difficult time understanding is why they have to spend more than double the money to tap on to a new lateral nearly 300 feet from their property, instead of tying into a sewer line the runs right by their house on Wooster Road.
"The town is making us hook up to the sewer system running to Merrywood," Lorrie Gunter said. "And instead of costing $1,400 to hook up to the Wooster Road line, they want us to pay $3,100 to hook up to the Merrywood line."
What is even more unpalatable to Gunter is that Winona Lake wants $2,500 by Oct. 31 to tie into the line.
"I just don't think it's fair to make us hook up to the system if we don't have a problem with our septic system," she said. "We don't want to hook up now. We don't need to."
But they do need to, according to Bob Weaver of the Kosciusko County Health Department.
"County ordinance 16-1-3-13 states that if a sewer line passes within 100 feet of your house," he said, "homeowners are given a reasonable amount of time - usually one year - to hook into the system."
But, Gunter said, if they are required to tie into the system, they should be allowed to tie into the closest sewer line, the one along Wooster Road. However, Winona Lake says that isn't possible. The Wooster Road lateral cannot accept any more taps.
"We've agreed to accept the effluent into our system, but we're not allowing anyone to tie into the Wooster Road line," said Brent Wilcoxson, president of the Winona Lake Town Council. "It's not sound engineering to allow anymore cuts into that line."
