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Resident warns of raw-sewage overflows in Westbrook; council orders testing, outlines multi-year repairs
Summary
A Westbrook Drive resident told the Batesville City Council raw sewage is backing up from a manhole onto his yard and into a creek after heavy rains. Council members said they have rehabilitated some mains, will pursue testing (smoke/dye/flow monitoring) to quantify private-connection infiltration, and will seek funding and homeowner outreach to address fixes.
Phil Derdorf told the council that heavy rains have repeatedly forced raw sewage from a manhole onto his front yard and into the creek that runs through his Westbrook Drive property, leaving “remnants of the raw sewage” visible a week later and creating a health risk for neighborhood children and pets.
Mayor Ear Gang acknowledged the problem and described ongoing city work to rehabilitate aging sewer mains: “We have rehabbed about 3,500 linear feet with a cured-in-place process,” the mayor said, and reported that more than 10,000 feet of main remain to be corrected. Councilors and staff the evening laid out the next steps to understand and address the spills: targeted flow monitoring and smoke or dye testing to determine how much stormwater is entering the sanitary sewer through private connections, followed by prioritized main-line rehabilitation.
Council members and staff said the city lacks a quick, low-cost fix. Officials estimated a cured-in-place lining at roughly $250 per foot for sections that remain to be done and said this year’s budget was partially reallocated to a $370,000 lift-station (grinder pump) repair at Hillindale, which delayed some main-line work. The mayor noted that localized heavy rainfall — officials said about 4 inches per hour on the day of the most recent overflow — can overwhelm storm infrastructure and aggravate infiltration.
City staff emphasized two parallel approaches: continue main-line rehabilitation where the city’s system is failing and test private connections to identify properties discharging clear stormwater into the sanitary system. The council said smoke or dye testing and flow monitoring would identify how many private hookups are contributing; if testing shows many homes are connected improperly, the city will face a widespread, phased remediation effort and will need to consider how to help homeowners meet repair costs while protecting public health.
Officials discussed outreach measures already possible: the city can provide information and, in some cases, assistance for proactive homeowner dye testing and plumbing inspections; staff said such voluntary measures would be viewed favorably and could reduce the number of costly mandatory corrective orders. The mayor said the city has asked ARRA to look for grant opportunities and that EPA homeowner loan programs are a possible avenue to help property owners pay corrective work.
No formal ordinance or mandatory remediation program was adopted at the meeting. The council voted to direct staff to pursue flow monitoring and smoke/dye testing in the affected area, develop an outreach plan for homeowners, and continue the cured-in-place rehabilitation program as budget allows. Councilors said they would return to the issue with testing results and cost estimates before requiring repairs from individual homeowners.
What happens next: staff will request estimates and timing for smoke/dye testing, pursue grant and low-interest funding options, and bring findings back to the council for possible next steps and any required homeowner-notice process.
