About eight homes don’t have their own pipes going directly into the county’s sewer system, but instead are inter-connected, neighbors told the Dayton Daily News. Because of the unique setup, when one pipe breaks or has problems, it’s much harder to fix.
Months ago, Montgomery County Environmental Services identified a private sewer line that serves the residents of Maplecrest Drive in Kettering. County officials determined that the line was not built to acceptable standards, is not in an easement and is not able to serve the neighborhood’s wastewater removal needs.
The sewer line that connects affected residents’ homes to the county’s sewer system is broken, and instead of each house having its own line to the main drain, they are all connected.
Residents were told by the county that the solution was being drawn up, but they would be charged almost $1,300 a year for 20 years to cover the cost of a sewer line upgrade after it was determined it was the county’s responsibility to fix the problem.
That has all changed now, as the residents have been informed by Environmental Services Interim Director, Matt Hiliard, that the county, “will absorb the entire cost of the project.”
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He added via a letter sent to the Maplecrest residents, “This means that there will be no assessment issued to the affected properties. The design for the new sanitary sewer is complete.”
Jenny Harlow was one of the homeowners affected and she was pleased to hear the good news from the county.
“Oh my gosh this is great news,” Harlow said. “I had to have my sewer line pumped out last weekend so the sooner the better.”
The bidding process for the project will get underway as soon as residents complete a right of entry form that they will receive from the county that has a deadline of May 8, 2020 to complete.
Kettering and the county previously disagreed about who had responsibility for the Maplecrest houses.
Kettering law department officials eventually found records indicating that Maplecrest and other neighborhoods in northwest Kettering were originally part of Carrmonte Sanitary Sewer District, which was created in the 1920s. Since this sewer district was formed prior to formation of Kettering, the city said the sanitary sewer lines – and this problem – are Montgomery County’s responsibility.
The city noted that Maplecrest property owners have paid sewage fees to the county for the last 75 to 100 years.
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