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Sewage System Summary Village of Schoolcraft Kalamazoo County, Michigan Vern Johnson, REHS, Environmental Health Chief Lucus Pols, REHS, Environmental Health Supervisor. The Basics… What is a sewage system?. Wastewater treatment system for individual homes, businesses, duplexes, etc.
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Sewage System SummaryVillage of SchoolcraftKalamazoo County, MichiganVern Johnson, REHS, Environmental Health ChiefLucus Pols, REHS, Environmental Health Supervisor
The Basics…What is a sewage system? • Wastewater treatment system for individual homes, businesses, duplexes, etc. • A method to treat wastewater onsite from plumbing produced by bathrooms, kitchen drains, dishwasher, and laundry.
The Basics…continued • A properly sized sewage system can take up 600 to 1200 square feet of area (on average). • A properly maintained sewage system can • Protect property value • Protect drinking water quality • Protect community health
Village of Schoolcraft…by the numbers • 803 parcels • 110 parcels vacant • 693 parcels with an onsite septic system • 98 parcels (14%) with no septic system records or information From Google Maps
By the numbers in the Village…continued • Current septic system • 1950s – 60s: 16 (2%) • 1970s: 37 (5%) • 1980s: 110 (16%) • 1990s: 242 (35%) • 2000s: 123 (18%) • 2010s: 66 (10%) More than half the systems are 20 to 40 years old. From Wightman & Associates, Inc. 2/2018
By the numbers US 131 corridor • 58 parcels • 20 parcels vacant • 3 parcels unknown info • Current septic system • 1960s – 1980s: 10 (26%) • 1990s – 2000s: 18 (47%) • 2010s: 7 (18%) ~ 50% of the systems are 10 to 30 years old. • 36 Properies north of Big C Lumber to West U Avenue And • 22 Properties south of CJ’s Statuary to Co-Alliance LLP
Why is all this important? • Small lot sizes lead to replacement challenges. • Many of the sewage systems do not comply with the current Kalamazoo County Sanitary Code. • Drywells are prohibited for new construction. • Replacement drywells are only allowed through a variance under the current Sanitary Code. • Drywells do not provide adequate protection to our groundwater resources. • Remove old system and replace = Increased cost!!
A few recent challenges… • Wendy’s • 2002: 6 beds at 750 square feet each (4,500 square feet). • 2016: Sewage on the ground. • 2017: Installed 2 beds at 3,750 square feet each (7,500 square feet). • McDonald’s • 1990: 4,900 square feet of drainbeds. • 1997: 8,600 square feet of trenches. • 2011: an engineer was involved in investigating the current system.
A few recent challenges…continued • Mar Jos West • 1980: the facility had a few existing drywells and installed 187 feet of trench. • 2011: 3,000 square feet of drainbed. • 2017: Sewage on the ground. Replacement drainbed (4,000 square feet) was installed. • Speedway • 1969: STS, single drywell. 1977- STS, 640 square feet drainbed. 1989- STS, 144 linear feet of trench. 2004- STS, 800 square feet of trenches 2010– STS, 800 square feet of trenches • 2016: Sewage on the ground. Replacement 3,000 square feet of drainbedsinstalled. • Pizza Hut Complex • 2012: 3,000 Square Feet of Drainfield. • 2019: Sewage on the ground. Permitted for 3,150 Square feet of drainfield(removal and replacement)