The County Commission next Wednesday will consider a resolution by Commissioner Gene-o Shipley that would have the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTV) operate decentralized sewage systems.
Commissioner Shipley, a longtime plumber, said if one of the systems failed the WWTA would have to step in and "pump sewage five, six, seven miles" which he said could break the WWTA budget.
He said, "These systems should be operated by our own sewage authority, not by companies from out West and up North. That don't hurt the growth of the county."
Several commissioners said an information session or roundtable needs to be held on the stand-alone systems that are increasingly being used by developers in remote sections of the county.
Julian Bell of the Home Builders Association said such systems "are an important tool for the safety of the community and for continued growth."
He said, "All of us need to focus on learning more about these systems." He said the resolution should be deferred "for a time of study."
Commissioner Chip Baker said, "We all want home building to continue. That's how we make money, but we seem to be on different pages." He said different key individuals should come together for a discussion.
Commissioner Lee Helton said, "The likelihood of the catastrophic failure of one of these systems is near zero. There is a misconception about these systems."
Commissioner David Sharpe said the decentralized systems are different from septic systems in that "they put clean water into the ground."
He said, "It seems almost like there is a campaign to create fear about these systems."
Commissioner Sharpe said, "We've got to keep building houses and not put on restrictions that will make it too costly to do so."