Leaders discuss sewer expansion possibilities

But county leaders and local mayors are meeting regularly around the big table in the industrial authority’s meeting room in the old county courthouse to talk about long-term sewer issues. They haven’t nailed down anything yet. They haven’t even agreed that they will expand sewer services at all. But they continue to talk.

Engineer Chris Quigley has guided these discussions, receiving input from the group, which has made a couple of things clear: they want to keep sewer expansion along major highways, not in residential zones, and they want to make needed renovations at Comer and Danielsville the group’s top priority.

“The two immediate needs are Danielsville and Comer,” said Colbert mayor Chris Peck. “They have the schools and they are the biggest customer bases. To me, that’s where our focus needs to be. I know everyone wants the commercial (services), but we’ve got stuff we need to fix.”

Quigley’s latest proposal is to split expansion into two $9 million phases: an “east” and a “west.” The east phase would deal with Danielsville and Comer sewer services. Rough cost estimates of renovations in both towns are given at a couple of million each.

Quigley proposes linking Danielsville and Comer with a gravity flow “trunk” line along the South Fork of the Broad River. That sewage would then be treated with a regional sewage plant in the Comer area.

The west phase would focus on the county’s industrial zone along Hwy. 72. The already existing sewage treatment plant in Hull would be expanded and

Quigley said the county shouldn’t try to tackle the $18 million in proposed expansion costs at once, noting that it might take many years for the county to complete the plan. He said the county could look for funding from a number of sources, such as the federal government, which he said might fund 45 percent of the project with grants. He said other grant sources could be available, such as Employment Incentive Program (EIP) grants. Businesses that are interested in locating in the area might also be enticed to foot some of the expansion costs, he said.

WEST PHASE

Here is Quigley’s written summary of the “west phase” expansion: “The ‘West Phase’ provides sewer service to the areas along Fortson Store Road, the north side of Hull, along Hwy. 72 and to Colbert. This work includes expanding and upgrading the Hull STP (sewage treatment plant) with tertiary treatment for direct discharge to Biger Creek and for sludge handling equipment. This provides critical sewer service to people in and around Hull and Colbert. It provides sewer service to the Hwy. 72 corridor, which will attract commercial/industrial development.”

The proposed $9 million cost of the “west phase” expansion is broken down as follows: Hull sewage treatment plant expansion: $2 million; Fortson Store Road sewage collection, $600,000; Hull sewage collection $2.4 million; Hwy. 72 sewage collection, $1.5 million; Colbert sewage collection, $2.5 million.

EAST PHASE

Here is Quigley’s written summary of the “east phase” expansion:

“The East Phase provides a new regional STP (sewage treatment plant) near Comer, a trunk sewer (line) along the South Fork of the Broad River and Brush Creek to McCarty Dodd Road, and transfer of sewage from Danielsville and Comer. The work includes decommissioning the Danielsville and Comer treatment facilities which are nearing the end of their useful life. The trunk sewer will be the backbone of the sewerage system that can one day be extended to Madico, Colbert, Hull, etc. At ultimate build-out, gravity sewers will allow many of the pump stations to be taken offline.”

The proposed $9 million cost of the “east phase” expansion is broken down as follows: a regional sewage treatment plant, $2.75 million; trunk sewer line, $4.55 million; Danielsville sewage treatment plant, $1 million; Comer sewage treatment plant, $700,000.