- By Dan Veaner
- News
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John Anderson (left) of the Tompkins County Health Department
met with Lansing's Sewer Committee on Wednesday
The committee invited the County Health Department's John Anderson to answer questions and to offer help in collating statistics on compromised and failing septic systems in the proposed district. "I'm looking for more information on the failure rate of septic systems in the district," said Town Engineer David Herrick. "Two things," Anderson added. "The systems that have been replaced, and at what frequency, and to see how close septic systems are to current standards."
Anderson explained that a sewer not only solves the problem of failed septic systems, but also of compromised ones. A compromised system is one that doesn't meet today's standards, and probably never will even if it is replaced. Such a system may discharge contaminated fluid to the roadside ditch or a swale. "You can only do so much," Anderson explained. If you have a lot that's only this big with a garage this big, a swimming pool this big, and a couple of big trees on it, you only have room to do a certain amount of things. You may always wind up, even with a replacement system, with some kind of a discharge off the property."
He noted that the cumulative effect can affect drinking water or cause illness when it seeps into wells or ends up in Lake Cayuga. "One isn't going to bother anybody, but the more you have, the more chance you have of high-nutrient water coming out in the ditch, creating growth and algae and odors, or even contaminated with bacteria," he explained. And he noted that some properties almost certainly have an environmental problem. "You can almost take any property within 100 feet of the lake and say they've got a problem."
Committee members grappled with the contention that the sewer will promote growth in Lansing. "Saying that the Town Board wants the sewer for development, that's not it at all," said Councilwoman Connie Wilcox. "The development is going to come anyway, with or without sewer. So what do you want to do? Do you want to have houses on acre or two acre lots and have septic systems that are going to fail? But then you get the other people who say, 'We don't need all that acreage to maintain,' who would rather have a half acre lot."
Wilcox said that Woodsedge would like to double the number of units for their elderly residents. "But they're not doing anything until they get sewer," she said, noting it would be too expensive to enlarge their septic system if they doubled the number of residents. On the other hand, school officials have expressed fear that growth due to sewer will increase the school population beyond what the already overcrowded buildings will bear. But committee members argued that a County study shows that new people moving into Lansing will typically be 'empty nesters' in the 45 to 65 age group.
Anderson also noted that the sewer would save the schools money down the road as they struggle to deal with their own sewage treatment. The school board discussed a problem with the High School system in meetings last year, in which fluids are seeping up through the lawn behind the school. Anderson said the campus is not under the auspices of the Health Department, but that could change if school officials don't address problems like these.
Even if growth occurs, one thing that sewer would bring to Lansing is greater density because homes could be built on half acre lots if they didn't need a septic system. And outside forces have their eye on the town, virtually insuring that growth will occur whether the sewer is built or not. The County has asked Town officials to change zoning to help promote affordable housing to meet aggressive goals for growth in Tompkins County.
Cornell is another entity that affects growth here. "I've got to believe that Cornell is looking at the southern area of the town as an area where Cornell employees and staff are expected to migrate to," Herrick said. Town Supervisor Steve Farkas noted that 34% of Cornell employees live in the Village and Town of Lansing. "That's a significant number," he said.
"To have a practical answer for folks who say, 'We don't want to see the south end of the town densify,' somebody should say, Why not? What's wrong with it? Why is it a bad thing?'" Herrick said. Sewer Committee Chair Bud Shattuck said he thought that it comes down to the fact that people don't like change, but that it is inevitable. He noted that some people don't want sewer, no matter what, and others do. He said it is important to answer the questions of the undecided, who will sway a vote either for or against the project.
Engineers said there is a simple answer to the accusation that the sewer is being designed to help developers. "We're connecting the pods of sewer users to the main collection system in the most cost effective way possible," said engineer Jim Blum. "In order to do that you're looking at straight lines across (empty) properties." Shattuck added, "I see it as an engineering issue. The Town Board's not making those decisions. This is the best way to engineer this."
The committee plans an open house this Saturday (9/16) at the Town Hall from 9am to 3pm where residents can talk one on one with engineers and officials, look at maps and plans and get questions answered. Anderson agreed to collect the statistics and get them back to the Town in about a month. More public information sessions will be scheduled in October, and while there is no set deadline Shattuck said he hoped the project could be acted on by December.
And committee members pointed out again that the district has not been formed yet. After getting the information to the public and getting input from them, if the board decides to go forward and form the district, the public will have 30 days to petition for a permissive referendum. If that happens district property owners will have a chance to vote up or down on the project.
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