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August 27, 2002Suttons Bay says sewer system near to overflow- Officials urge residents to take shorter showers, flush less and wash only full loads of laundryBy STACEY SMITHRecord-Eagle staff writer SUTTONS BAY - Village residents are being asked to shower quickly, flush less and wash full loads of laundry to deal with a sewer system approaching overload. Village manager Phil Hamburg said the village is asking residents to conserve because the village's sewer lagoons are near capacity. The village is allowed, under a permit from the Department of Environmental Quality, to discharge treated wastewater from the lagoons into the bay twice a year, but the next scheduled discharge is not until Oct. 1. "It's not like we're sending out the flush police or anything like that," Hamburg said. "We just want people to conserve." Hamburg said the village board had considered a moratorium on new sewer hook-ups, but believed it was unnecessary at this time. The village is not enforcing a conservation order, Hamburg said. There are no limits on how much wastewater per household can go into the system. The problem, Hamburg said, is because of a number of factors, including continuing growth in the village, the extra summer business in restaurants and heavy rains late last week. There are about 350 homes and businesses on the system. Eventually, the village will need to expand the sewer system, Hamburg said. In April, the village discovered an open valve that was discharging 2 to 3 gallons of wastewater per minute into West Grand Traverse Bay. It is not known how long the valve was open. The valve has been closed, but village officials also discovered a leak in one of the five treatment lagoons also discharging into the bay. The leak has been repaired, Hamburg said. A village employee, whose name has not been disclosed, was removed as operator of the sewer after the open valve was discovered. At the time, village police chief Del Moore said he believed the valve was left open deliberately to reduce the amount of water in the lagoons. The DEQ investigated and have forwarded information to the Attorney General's office for possible charges against the village and the former sewer operator. A representative of the Attorney General did not return a phone call Monday. The village now has an independent contractor, OMI, to operate the system. |
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