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"We've all heard the tale of that wise old owl,
Who lived on the limb of an oak.
He listened, and watched, and heard, and saw,
But seldom ever spoke.
When things got so bad, his wisdom he shared,
And to City Watch he invoked.
It's time, he said, for your group to be heard,
So people will know there is hope!"
-Anonymous
ABOUT CITY WATCH...
City Watch, Inc. is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, volunteer operated & membership supported educational organization established in 1989. It's mission includes local government education with a focus on fiscal issues affecting the Salinas & Monterey areas.
All content on this official website is for the benefit of City Watch, Inc. and is for educational non-commercial use only.
Anyone can become a City Watch volunteer and membership is open to persons 18 years of age or older. Annual dues are $20 a member or $35 for a couple.
Send dues, charitable donations & correspondence to:
City Watch, Inc.
PO Box 3954
Salinas, CA 93912
Email:
contact@joincitywatch.org
Chairman of the Board:
Gene Lee
Phone: (831) 275-0695
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Carmel Valley City-Hood: Sewer Costs to Threaten Homeowners
Posted on Wednesday, April 27 @ 17:52:03 EDT by Webmaster
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 by Lawrence K. Samuels
"As an environmentally sensitive area, it is almost a given that septic tanks in Carmel Valley will eventually have to be replaced under a new City."
The cost could be as high as $20,000 per household to connect into the system, as well as additional millions spent at the expense of homeowners for new trunk, main and lateral/branch lines, along with a new or enlarged wastewater treatment plant. And don’t forget about monthly payments for its upkeep.
Examples of Costs:
Carmel Area Waste Water District, a government agency, covers Carmel-by-the-Sea and the mouth of Carmel Valley.
Their sewer maintenance charge is $276 this year, but their connection fee ranges from $900 to $2000, along with other permits and construction cost like connecting to the sewer lateral line.
The estimated cost to connect a homeowner to a sewer lateral line in the Carmel area can range from $80 to $200 per foot. For instance, if a particular house is 100 feet from the lateral, it could cost over $20,000.
Complications mean higher costs. Some connections require deeper trenches to the lateral. In other cases, hilly terrain may require a pumping system using a grinder pump at an additional expense of about $5,000 to push the sewage uphill.
Condition of the soil is also a big factor. Hard rock/slate has increased some sewer connection costs in Carmel Valley to over $200 per foot, according to a civil engineer with the Carmel Area Waste Water District. Also, a homeowner's plumbing system may have to be modified to tap into a new sewer system.
In almost every case, homeowners are responsible for paying to cap their septic tank and connect it to the city system.
A special sewer district is often created or an existing district annexes new municipal territory.
Then, a 30-year sewer obligation bond is issued which is added to the homeowner’s property tax bill.
Finally, a series of trunks, main sewer lines and laterals are installed. The owner is often given a deadline of only 90 to 120 days to install the connection.
 Unfunded Mandates:
If a city accepts federal grants, often one of the strings attached is the requirement for a public sewer system. With the National Environmental Policy Act (1969), the Clean Water Act (1972), and various groundwater laws and regulations, municipalities have been pressured to get rid of septic tanks.
No city on the Monterey Peninsula allows septic tanks. Local areas that have come under city control were forced to cap their septic tanks and connect to the public wastewater system.
“Environmental regulations have required municipalities to spend tens of billions of dollars building and operating state-of-the-art secondary treatment plants for wastewater. While the price tags of the facilities have escalated sharply since the 1970s, federal contributions to help cover the cost have shriveled1,” reported a senior fellow of the Brookings Institute.
Cities Pursue Homeowners with Zeal:
Springfield, Missouri, gave homeowners 90 days to disconnect and put in a new sewer line after sewer bonds were approved. Currently, the city of Springfield, Missouri, is pressuring the remaining 6% of homeowners with septic tanks to change over.
Springfield has adopted a policy of 100% compliance and is actively working to remove all septic tanks within city boundaries. In fact, city officials have told residents that “Public sewers are recommended and often required by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources2…”
Conewago, Pennsylvania, passed a mandatory connection ordinance on Nov 12, 2003. The ordinance gives homeowners a “60-day notice to connect” into the public sewer system. It also requires that septic tanks be filled in. The connection fee in Conewago is $5,000.
In many cities in Southern California, connection fees are as high as $10,000. Clear Lake in Northern California charges $8,000 per lot to connect.
In Portland, Oregon, a “Mandatory Sewer Connection Program” requires “developed properties to connect to the sewer system.” The ordinance does exempt areas without laterals, but the city is expanding the sewer system to be in 100% compliance.
Further, the city is actively searching for properties that have not complied.
*Lawrence K. Samuels is a City Watch member and lives in Carmel Valley.
NOTES:
1. Pietro S. Nivola, senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, in “Fiscal Millstones on the Cities: Revisiting the Problem of Federal Mandates,” August 2003.
2. "Making Public Sewers Available For Your Neighborhood's Environmental Health," a report from the City of Springfield, MO Public Works Department.
*Published April 27, 2005
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