- By Tom Vawter
- Opinions
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Regarding the debate in the town concerning installing sewers, I wonder if some folks might feel more inclined toward municipal sewers if Tompkins County, like some others, had mandatory periodic septic system inspections, rather than requiring them only when properties change hands. And property owners were required to repair or replace the systems at their own expense. I would suspect that the costs for replacing failing septic systems, like those currently at the Lansing Schools, would soon exceed the costs of installing sewers. But since there are currently no available data on how many systems are polluting our waterways, we are likely not to know the environmental costs of not installing sewers and a treatment plant.
Tom Vawter
Lansing, NY
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