News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
After years of expecting Sisters to install a sewer system, Deschutes County is telling the city that septic restrictions are going to get tighter.
The county will continue to allow sub-standard, short-term septic repairs until city residents vote on a sewer system in May, according to a letter from Roger Everett of the county's Environmental Health Division and Dick Nichols of the Department of Environmental Quality.
"If, however, the city's efforts to build a community sewer facility fails," the letter states, "we will have to review this policy in addressing the long-term needs and concerns of the community.
"In the interest of public health and for the protection of the Sisters aquifer, repairs on lots less than one acre will require either a pressure distribution system or sand filter."
According to Everett, a pressure distribution system costs from $4,500 to $5,000; a sand filter system costs about $10,000. Both systems have moving parts that require maintenance expenditures, Everett said, and the tank on a sand filter system must be pumped out every two to three years.
"It's not a system you can put in and forget," Everett said. "It requires some baby-sitting."
City planner Neil Thompson estimates that as many as 350 homes in Sisters have septic systems 20 years old or older, an age at which health officials say they have used up most of their life.
Thompson believes all of those lots are less than one acre, which would place them under the proposed tighter restrictions.
Sisters City Council President Gordon Petrie points out that the county's figures covering most of the past four years show a "very low" septic system failure rate of 2.13 percent.
However, Sisters Mayor Steve Wilson thinks that figure is an unrealistic indicator of the need for a sewer system
"If we compare our current failure rate with where we're going to be in five or 10 years, it's like saying we've got 100,000 miles out of the engine on the car without any problem, so we should be able to get another 100,000 out of it," Wilson said.
The city council continues to host a series of informational workshops.
The next workshop is set for Monday, February 16, at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)