The $60 million price tag to place sewers around the northern and southern portions of Chautauqua Lake is enough to make those with even the loosest grips on their checkbook shudder.

We admit $60 million is an awful lot to spend when the county is also trying to put together a water district in the north county. In both cases, however, the bill has gotten larger over time as necessary projects have been deferred year afer year after year. It must be done, however, much like putting a new roof on your home when the roof that was installed in the 1980s springs a leak or a new furnace when the 1960s model in the basement suddenly stops working. There comes a time when you can’t defer the maintenance any further.

Sewering the lake is necessary maintenance for a county that relies on the tourism the lake provides for a much-needed economic boost each year. We see evidence every year that too much phosphorus and too many nitrates are entering the watershed in the form of blue-green algae that close beaches for days at a time. The lack of swimmers has gotten so bad many beaches don’t even provide lifeguards anymore. That is a remarkable development for those who grew up swimming in the lake as recently as the 1990s.

Every taxpayer should take the time to be educated on the two sewer extension projects. The southern sewer extension will involve the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District and span from Goose Creek to Prendergast Point. The northern part of the lake will be covered by the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District’s treatment plant and cover from Midway State Park to Hartfield. County Executive Vince Horrigan says the county plans to investigate grant funding from Southern Tier West, federal and state sources while breaking the total project into parts to make it easier to raise the necessary money. Kudos to U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, for supporting the project by making sewers around Chautauqua Lake as one of his top three federal infrastructure priorities in the 23rd Congressional District.

The bill has come due for decades of dilly-dallying with the infrastructure surrounding Chautauqua Lake. At the same time sewer facilities are discussing this expansion, they are also trying to decrease the amount of phosphorus they release into the environment to meet state DEC Total Maximum Daily Load requirements. They must be down to .2 milligrams of phosphorus per liter by June 2018. And, the Chautauqua County Board of Health has approved regulations to private sewage systems located within 250 feet of lakeshores that take effect in January. According to the amendment, unpermitted private sewage disposal systems over 30 years of age are first priorities for inspections. Permitted private sewage disposal systems over 30 years would receive secondary consideration.

There is nothing sexy or eye-catching about building new sewers. It’s not the sort of grant funding announcement that excites people like the National Comedy Center.

Unfortunately, our annual summer algae blooms are eye-catching for all the wrong reasons.