Residents voice concerns over new sewer district

 

MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind. -- Some neighbors in Marshall County are voicing their opposition to a project that would switch their septic systems to sewer systems.

The project is called the Marshall County Regional Sewer District and the board behind it says it's necessary to improve the quality of drinking water and to get homes off aging septic systems.

Residents who own property on several different lakes received a packet in the mail from the Sewer District Board notifying them of the project. Though it outlines how the installment of a sewer system will impact them as homeowners, some feel what's not as clear is the sticker price and the need for the system.

"Why are we being forced to pay for something we don't feel we need?" asks a citizen at Wednesday morning's board meeting.

"You're saying that it's bad, but where's the testing?" Asks another resident.

Marshall County homeowners whose properties fall within these boundaries are within the territory of a new sewer system.

Some of those residents don't think they need it, or they want to see more testing that shows their septic systems are failing.

The board behind the Marshall County Regional Sewer District says the project stems from a recommendation back in late 2022.

"The Indiana Department of Environmental Management determined that many septic systems within the district were failing. As a result, the public health and water quality are being negatively impacted," explains Thomas McFadden, President of the Marshall County Regional Sewer District Board.

Besides drinking water, project leaders allude that bodies of water like lakes and streams are being negatively impacted by leaky or faulty septic systems.

"If you live around the lakes, you know what's out there in the way of septic issues," said one resident.

The biggest question remains: What's it going to cost?

The county has already borrowed $3 million to make it happen, but homeowners fear a spike in property taxes.

An estimate from a previous meeting stated it would cost roughly $200 a year, but that's if federal grant funding comes through to help reduce the costs.

"There is no proposed rate," McFadden says. "But the board is committed to looking under every stone to keep the rates as low as feasible."

Residents do have the opportunity to be exempt from the project by having their systems inspected and ensured they're functioning properly.

Since there is no vote on whether this project moves forward, that's the only way out for residents who do not wish to participate.

"We have a fiduciary duty to move this project forward," McFadden says. "The only way this board will go out of existence will be if the project is not feasible through a financial or operational perspective."

The board hopes to have this project complete with customers connected to the system by the summer of 2028.

The next step is to have the design complete by August of this year.

ABC57 tried to reach the board president for comment but wasn't able to reach him.

The board meets next on April 9th.