Columbus voters approve sewer repairs

Published: September 14, 2006

Facing possible pollution fines from the state, the city of Columbus passed
two referendums Tuesday to fix its deteriorated sewer system.

Because leaks to the city’s sewer system have caused yearly backups and
the dumping of raw sewage into the Crawfish River since 1993, the Department
of Natural Resources fined the city $18,000 and put a moratorium on sewer extensions
downtown, limiting development.

“(The dumping) happened often enough to get the DNR’s attention,”
said Dan Jensen, who became the city’s director of public works in January.

A $4.26 million sewer project was split into two referendum questions on Tuesday’s
ballot. One asked voters to approve $1.84 million for sewer repairs in the central
city, and the other asked for $2.42 million to repair the west side sewer system.

Both passed by overwhelming margins at 697-68 and 621-135, respectively.

According to Tom Gilbert, a DNR Bureau of Watershed Management engineer, state
moratoriums on sewer expansion are infrequent — with about three or four active
at any one time — and generally last for short periods of time.

“The state will use the moratorium to prevent a city that is violating
certain pollution limits from putting any additional demands on its wastewater
facility,” said Gilbert, who did not know whether the moratorium would
be lifted in light of Tuesday’s vote.

Deadline for repairs looms

The referendums’ passing should ensure Columbus meets the state’s
Nov. 1, 2007, deadline for fixing its sewer problems. Otherwise, the city faces
additional fines as high as $500 per day.

Jensen downplayed the potential fines’ effect on the vote but added that
they will be issued if the deadline is not met.

“I think they had no bearing on how people voted,” said Jensen. “They
could have chosen to pay the fines rather than the sewer costs if they wanted
to, so the referendum passing was by no means a sure thing. My department worked
really hard to get the word out and to show the city’s need for repairing
the sewers.”

According to Jensen, Columbus’ sewer system was built in the 1920s, and
while parts of it have been replaced over the years, the system as a whole is
very old. Jensen said the approved sewer project will fix some parts of the
system and replace others.

The two-phase project, which the city plans to bid out in February and begin
working on in April, will include sanitary and storm sewer, street, curb and
gutter repairs.

The first phase will be done by the deadline, and the second phase is scheduled
to be completed by 2009.

30 percent bill increase

Monthly sewer bills for Columbus residents will increase by 30 percent over
the next two years, from $33.39 to $44.16, to cover project costs.

Like many communities have done recently, Columbus instituted a spending cap
– of $200,000 – on its Common Council earlier this year, forcing the
sewer repair funding to be approved through referendum.

While Tuesday’s referendum passed easily, other public works projects
in the future might not garner so much support, especially without the looming
threat of state fines.

Still, Jensen does not think spending limitations prevent his department from
doing its job.

“If (the people) want to give their input, we welcome that; it’s
their tax dollars,” he said. “We can always go to referendum if we
need to. It might push some of my construction deadlines out a little further,
but that’s all.”

Columbus’ sewer repairs are long overdue, but Jensen views the referendums
passing as an opportunity to put the city’s polluting past behind it.

“There were a lot of good ideas offered over the years, and it doesn’t
do any good to look back and say what should have happened,” he said. “Now
that the referendum has passed, we are moving forward.”