Sewers eyed for Lake Carey

BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLF

Wyoming County Press Examiner

LAKE CAREY - A sewer system is being considered for the Lake Carey area by officials from the two townships that contain the lake.

Supervisors from Lemon and Tunkhannock townships presented the idea to a gathering of several dozen residents at the Lake Carey Fire Hall on Thursday evening.

Although concerns about the water quality in the lake were mentioned, officials noted that the proposal is more about the conditions of the on-lot sewage systems in the area.

The supervisors in both townships hired consultant Harley Davis to look at several problem sewage areas. He said based on a study of existing systems, there are enough that are failing or in danger of failing to warrant study of a sewer system in the lake's drainage basin, which includes homes as far south as the Marcy Station area.

 Davis said there are other parts in Tunkhannock Township that were looked at, such as the Hilltop and Maple Lane area, Clarendon Acres and along Route 92 South. Those would be addressed by separate projects, however.

The two townships had Ned Slocum of Milnes Engineering draw up some preliminary plans on what a Lake Carey system could encompass.

Slocum explained that when the townships submit their proposal to the state Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies, several options will probably be included. For the presentation, he said he selected the one that in his view is the most efficient - a low-pressure system with grinder pumps at each home or business.

One of the situations Slocum said he ran into was where the output from a sewage treatment plant would be discharged. Nearby Billings Mill Creek was rejected by DEP, and Meshoppen Creek would require such a high amount of treatment that a plant there would be too costly. The only other option was Tunkhannock Creek, about a mile and a half south of the lake.

According to Slocum, construction of the entire sewer system could run about $8.3 million. That includes the sewer lines, treatment plant and other costs. Operation and maintenance would cost the townships about $170,000 a year, he said.

He explained that several financing plans are possible, although each comes with its benefits and drawbacks. The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) has shorter term loans and lower interest rates, but requires a completed design up front. Loans from Rural Utility Services are longer and have higher interest, but don't commit the townships to a final design ahead of time. Grant money is also more readily available from RUS than PENNVEST, he said.

Slocum estimated that connection fees could range from $500 to $1,500. Residents would also be required to bear the cost of connection to the system, which could run another $1,500 to $2,000.

Because the area does not have public water service with meters, any system would require residents to pay a flat monthly user fee, probably between $75 and $80 a month, Slocum said. That fee would be applied every month, whether the home was occupied or not.

Lake resident Ed Hetzel asked whether a sewer system would encourage new development in the area. Slocum explained that the system will be designed only to address existing sewage concerns, plus a small margin for minor fluctuations in usage. He said the state will not issue permits for systems that include expansion room.

Residents also asked if studies have been done on the effect of removing water from the water table and discharging it into the creek, as such a system would do. According to Slocum, a similar system at Lake Winola resulted in no effect on the water table. That lake is much deeper than Lake Carey and is spring-fed rather than stream-fed, he added, meaning it would be more susceptible to water table problems if there were any.