Despite some controversy, the Chautauqua County Board of Health took action recently to require old septic systems within 250 feet of the five lakes in the county (Bear, Cassadaga, Chautauqua, Erie and Findley) to be inspected. The new requirement takes effect January, 2016. In general, this means that septic systems which have not been permitted or inspected for 30 years would be required to do so.

For those of us who live on Chautauqua Lake and maintain a septic system maybe this is a blessing. It will give us an idea of what it would cost to rebuild a septic system vs. hooking up to a public sewer. It will also spark conversation about the benefits of each. One benefit of a public sewer system is that sewage can be treated to remove phosphorus, the mineral which algae needs in order to grow. As has been stated in this newspaper, septic systems, in large part, do not remove phosphorus from the waste stream.

The other lakes covered by the Health Board’s action may find constructing public sewer systems to be impractical or unaffordable. Upgraded septic systems may be the only alternative. However, Chautauqua Lake already has the plants in place to treat the sewage-they are located in Mayville, Celeron and Chautauqua Institution. The issue on Chautauqua Lake deals with upgrading these plants to reduce phosphorus discharges and building a collection system for the entire shoreline to transport sewage to these plants.

The Health Board’s action is timely in another sense. Both the North and South/Center Sewer Districts are now conducting detailed engineering studies to determine what the cost would be to “build-out” a system to cover the whole lake. Chautauqua Institution has already approved a multi-million dollar plan to upgrade its sewage facilities. Currently, the county is seeking sources of state and federal funding which could be available to assist in building a complete sewer system for the lake.

When all of this is done, property owners will have an idea of what the costs will be to hook-up to a public sewer system vs. investing in an upgraded septic system of their own. I would think that most property owners would prefer to pay a reasonable fee to hook-up to a public system vs. investing in an expensive upgraded septic system which, by definition, is not designed to remove phosphorus from the waste stream.

The debate has just begun. The residents who live around Chautauqua Lake will be heard. Much of the discussion will come down to cost. In the interim, the phosphorus now flowing into the lake from inadequate sewage plants and septic systems will continue until the problem is resolved.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.