South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer Director Tom Walsh, right, speaks to members of the county Planning Board. Photo by Gregory Bacon

A proposed $24 million sewer extension around Chautauqua Lake is moving forward.

During this week’s county Planning Board meeting, board members unanimously approved the plans for the Phase II sewer extension, which will now go before county legislators for further review and potential final approval.

Tom Walsh, the director of the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, discussed the Phase II extension during the planning board meeting. This phase runs from Stow, along Route 394, to Prendergast Road. “By completing Phase II we will completely sewer the west side of Chautauqua Lake,” he said.

Walsh explained that this extension would sewer about 520 parcels, about 350 which are currently developed. “Phase II is primarily being installed and implemented as a result of private septic systems not meeting standards, and reaching the end of their useful life,” he said.

The $24 million project breaks down to $16 million from state and federal funds, and $8 million from a loan, which would be paid by the users. He said the annual cost to each resident will not exceed $1,000, per the state comptroller.

Of that $1,000 paid by per user, $350 would go toward treatment and maintenance, and $650 would go to the capital costs. The loan is for 30 years, interest free.

The $1,000 does not include installation or connection to the sewer. Walsh explained that each user will be required by law to no longer use their septic system and must hook up to the public sewer. Each septic system must either be removed or filled in, so that it is no longer viable.

Walsh said each homeowner is responsible for the grinder pump’s installation. The cost can vary greatly, depending on where it is installed. “It’s hard to project right now, but I would say anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000,” he said.

That price can go up quickly. He noted that one homeowner during Phase I wanted to have the grinder pump placed in a different location than the engineer suggested, but it would cost $20,000.

There are financial assistance program available, however Walsh said those are income-based programs, and no one he knows of has applied or is seeking to apply.

The county does provide a list of approved contractors, however residents are not required to use one of the contractors on the list. Whoever they hire, though, must understand the local laws, have the required insurance and be familiar with this type of work.

Commercial businesses are billed differently. Instead of the $1,000 flat rate, Walsh said they will be billed based on water consumption.

According to Walsh, the vast majority of the homeowners are in support of the project, although a small number are against it. One resident paid $12,000 10 years ago for a newly installed septic system and he won’t be able to use it anymore. “I said to him, look at it this way – the neighbors on both sides of you have aging antiquated septic systems and you and your family are probably swimming in their sewage,” Walsh said.

Walsh said they’ve studied wastewater discharge thoroughly. He said the average home discharges 200 gallons a day. Annually that’s over 70,000 gallons a year. There’s 1,200 homes on Chautauqua Lake that uses the septic system and is discharging 90 million gallons of wastewater directly into the Chautauqua Lake watershed. “I’m not saying the lake, I’m being very careful. I’m saying the watershed,” he added.

Phase I began in September. Walsh said that will eliminate about 28 million gallons of waste. Phase II should eliminate another 28 million gallons. “Is it the whole problem of Chautauqua Lake and the phosphorus and all the other issues? It isn’t, but it’s certainly an issue that we can correct,” he said.

Following final approval and construction, the homeowners will have public sewer but not public water, something many people want. “When we go through these areas, there’s a lot of requests for water and I tell them to talk to their local town boards,” Walsh said.