Residents Want To Know More About Sewer Connection Charge

Some North Side residents, faced with triple-size sewer bills for the next two years, or a $1,075 lump-sum payment to Spokane County, are asking “Why?”

Camelot, College Place and residents in other neighborhoods are being charged for connection to the county sewer system.

Most of the homes have been discharging sewage into drainfields and lagoons.

“If I’m going to pay more than $1,000, I should have an itemized list,” said Vickie Pritchett, a Camelot resident. “I want to know what it was that they did, how much the guys were paid and how long they worked. I want to know what I’m paying for.”

In the 1970s, county sewer connections weren’t in place near Camelot or College Park. In order to build the subdivisions, the developer was required to install the sewer lagoons.

In Camelot, the drainfield is a fenced pond located behind the neighborhood park at the corner of Guinevere Drive and Percival Road.

“Now more development has come to the area, making it feasible for the county to expand the sewer connections,” said Kevin Cooke, sewer planning and design manager for the county.

Other North Side neighborhoods scheduled to be connected to the main system in the next few years include Peone Pines, Heritage Estates and Green Hollow, near Fairwood.

Taking neighborhoods off lagoons and connecting them to the regional system protects the aquifer, said Cooke.

“We’ve tried to give people some notice, but weren’t sure when we would be able to make the connection,” Cooke said. “It was upsetting to some people that they have just a few months notice.”

Cooke said county subdivisions are still approved with sewage lagoons and drainfields, but usually with dry lines to make eventual connection to the system simpler and more cost effective.

For residents who choose monthly interest-free installments rather than paying the full $1,075 right away, the extra $50 per month charge will be tacked onto their sewer bill starting in December and continuing for two years.

Most bills will increase from less than $20 to about $65.

Cooke said the charge represents each neighbors’ fair share of the cost of sewer lines, pump stations and treatment facilities to handle the sewage flows.

While homeowners and duplex owners each pay $1,075, condominium and apartment owners pay $860 per unit.

“Revisions to the wastewater collections system should be paid by our tax dollars,” said Pritchett. “What I don’t like is not having any say about it.”

Pritchett said the extra $50 a month won’t cause a hardship for her family, but she wants a full accounting of how the money was spent and why taxes don’t cover the cost.

Cooke said taxes do cover some of the cost, which is actually closer to $1,600 per home.

Cooke said there are no provisions for families who do have trouble paying the additional cost.

Pritchett said she was content with the old system.

“When I flush my toilet, it’s all the same to me,” she said.

, DataTimes