Part 1 (Published March 28)
Editor’s note: Jefferson County officials have been wringing their hands in despair for decades over an ever-worsening problem – inadequate sewer service for many of the 160,000 residents of the county’s unincorporated area, in violation of county, state and federal mandates. The Jefferson County Public Sewer District was formed in 2000 to help, but lack of funding has strangled progress. The Leader kicks off a multi-part series today that will examine not only the scope of the problem, but offer some startling news – in 2013, there is hope for positive change.
By Kim Robertson and Peggy Scott
For the Leader
For 15 years, Frank Bauman and his neighbors have been looking for a way to make sure their next flush goes to a centralized sewer system instead of to failing septic systems that violate county, state and federal regulations.
Bauman, 56, lives in Georgetown Manor Estates, a 115-home subdivision south of Festus that has tried and failed three times to fund a community sewer system. There were insurmountable problems with raising enough money, complying with a complex set of organizational rules and obtaining easements for sewer lines.
"We’ve been muddling through for so many years," Bauman said.
Finally, he and his neighbors are being told a solution may be at hand, not only for them, but for thousands of other homeowners living with failing septic systems in unincorporated Jefferson County.
The hope is tied to a court-approved reorganization of the Jefferson County Public Sewer District, a change that provides new powers to set up sewer improvement areas and pay for sewer improvements, said Clyde Pratt, sewer district board chairman.
Jefferson County’s sewage issues are indisputable. The unincorporated area is riddled with failing septic systems, inadequate lagoons and outdated sewer systems that contaminate fresh water and poison residents’ quality of life.
An estimated 1.6 billion gallons of raw sewage are illegally released in Jefferson County each year, Pratt said.
But 12 years after the creation of the Jefferson County Public Sewer District, there is a workable mechanism to improve the situation, Pratt said.
"I feel like we’ll be able to tackle the problem better now," he said.
Under the reorganization, residents in an area that needs sewage service can vote to organize; a four-sevenths majority is needed. Once that happens, the sewer district can sell revenue bonds to finance improvements.
Then, residents in the sewer improvement areas would make payments to the sewer district, which would use those funds to pay off the bond debt, Pratt said.
"We have more flexibility now," he said. "Before, it took countywide approval to issue bonds."
First up – Georgetown
Georgetown homeowners got their first wave of violation notices in 1999, informing them that their individual sewer systems in the 40-year-old development were failing.
More than half the homes have septic systems that aren’t up to standard, said Bauman, who is one of five Georgetown subdivision trustees.
Fed up with expensive solutions that didn’t really solve the overall problem, homeowners raised $30,000 to pay an engineer to draw up plans for centralized sewers.
But the plans didn’t come with instructions on how to make that happen. County officials advised trying a NID (Neighborhood Improvement District) process to raise the money and pay it back.
The subdivision has tried that method three times, unsuccessfully.
"The residents have always wanted it," Bauman said. "But, the scope of the project kept changing and then the NID didn’t provide enough funding. We would always run into another process. We kept blindly plodding along. It’s not been easy. It’s complicated."
The last time the residents tried to form a NID, Jefferson County Public Sewer worked with them, but again plans fell through because necessary easements couldn’t be obtained, Pratt said.
Each time a NID attempt fell through, the price to install the sewer system doubled.
"Now, we’re looking at close to $2 million," Bauman said. "The first time, it was $500,000."
With the sewer district’s reorganization completed, Pratt said he hopes planning for centralized sewers in Georgetown can be under way before the end of the year.
"We want to get it on the right track," Pratt said.
Bauman said he expects sewer district representatives to attend the Georgetown subdivision’s spring meeting, scheduled for the end of April.
He said he’s happy the sewer district is trying to help the subdivision finally achieve an affordable, centralized sewer system. But after all the failures in the past, Bauman can’t bring himself to express optimism.
"My hopes have been dashed too many times."
County sewer district was created in 2000
The Jefferson County Public Sewer District was formed in November 2000, when the County Commission set it up to provide centralized sewers to areas in unincorporated Jefferson County that aren’t already serviced by sewer districts or cities.
A lack of funding has been the issue from the start, Pratt said.
Jefferson County voters turned down three proposals that would have enabled the district to sell up to $50 million in revenue bonds to buy existing private sewer systems, consolidate facilities and build new plants in areas that weren’t served by an existing sewer district. If any of those bond issues had passed, the bond debt would have been paid off through user and connection fees. The sewer district would have been able to address problem areas on a large scale.
Instead, with its empty pocketbook, the district has tackled problem areas one by one, at a slow pace.
So far, the district has taken over sewer systems at six county subdivisions: Raintree Plantation subdivision in the Hillsboro area, the Mirasol subdivision just south of Eureka, Brookside Park and Sandy Branch neighborhoods in the Goldman area, the Falls at Little Creek west of Festus and Sunrise Acres in Cedar Hill.
Pratt thinks that list has a good chance to grow, now that it will be easier to set up sewer improvement areas and sell revenue bonds to fund sewer projects.
The reorganization allowing the changes was approved Jan. 11 by Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Mark T. Stoll, who signed off on the sewer district’s request to reorganize under Missouri law. It previously operated under Chapter 249 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, but now operates under Chapter 204.
One sign of progress is the opening of a Jefferson County Public Sewer District Office in leased space at 4632 Yeager Road in Hillsboro. Also, the district now has a paid part-time employee – office manager Connie Hargis.
Pratt said the changes give the district a base of operation to address the county’s sewage problems.
"It’s like we were operating out of a suitcase before," he said.
Jefferson County Public Sewer has five unpaid board members who run the district. In addition to Pratt, they are John Redel, Wade Amsden, William Eultgen and Tom Ward. The members are appointed by the County Commission.
Next up, Weber Hill Terrace, Lake Adele
Once Georgetown’s problems are addressed, Pratt wants to focus on Weber Hill Terrace, a subdivision north of House Springs, which he said has some of worst sewage problems in the county.
But, there are many other problem areas, like Lake Adele near Cedar Hill, he said.
Pratt said the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Missouri Department of Natural Resources have mandated sewer improvements across the county, and as a result, some neighborhoods and residents are facing large fines or costs to have sewage pumped and hauled away.
That pump-and-haul service can easily cost $200 a week, Pratt said.
"Unfunded mandates are a big problem," he said.
Kristi Bales, director of Jefferson County Services, said pump-and-haul is a temporary fix.
"If you have a failing system, that’s an interim solution while a system replacement is being designed," she said.
Raintree improvements cost about $2.5 million
Sewer improvements can have a high price tag.
After the Jefferson County Public Sewer District took over Raintree’s water and sewer system in 2007, about $2.5 million in improvements were made, including an expanded treatment facility, a new well and a new water tower.
The new well was needed because there was lead in the drinking water, Pratt said.
Residents in the 690-home subdivision pay sewer and water fees, which are used to fund improvements and the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the system.
In February, the sewer district held two public hearings on proposed water and sewer rate increases that would add about $50 to an average $85 monthly water/sewer bill.
Some residents are fighting the increases, which have not gone into effect yet.
Pratt said the sewer district board was scheduled Wednesday (after Leader deadline) to talk about the proposed rates.
"I don’t know that we’ll make a determination then," he added.
But, additional revenue is needed at Raintree to address issues that continue to surface, Pratt said.
The sewer district inherited a lot of problems when it took over Raintree’s existing sewer system, he said.
"People don’t realize what has to be done and what’s already been done," he said. "There are a multitude of problems (with the Raintree sewers). They (problems) are constantly being discovered."
In contrast to Raintree, the Mirasol subdivision, which has about 300 residents, was a new development when Jefferson County Public Sewer took over operation of the sewers there. No improvements were needed, Pratt said.
The sewer district pays Environmental Management Corp., now owned by American Missouri Water, to operate and maintain both the Raintree and Mirasol sewer systems. Environmental Consulting and Operations Inc. in Arnold manages systems for the other four subdivisions under the district’s supervision.
Bauman is not holding his breath
Once improvements are made to the Georgetown Manor sewer system, then Jefferson County Public Sewer would take over operation and maintenance, Pratt said.
Despite the sewer district’s reorganization and Pratt’s hope for the future, Bauman said he won’t predict when sewers will be installed at Georgetown.
"After so many years, you quit guessing," he said. "There are always things that pop up and slow things down."
But he is keeping his fingers crossed that eventually his subdivision will have access to centralized sewers.
"We will not have wet spots in the yard. Our sewage will be treated properly, (meeting) all the standards," he said. "With central sewers, I believe it will add value to our properties. We are not just burying the money in a hole in the ground."
