Private sewers might raise a big stink

They've been described as hidden time bombs.

But for Clark County officials and many residents, they could become stink bombs.

More than 800 miles of private sewers lurk beneath the valley, many of them old and flawed and prone to spilling noxious waste.

Developers installed them during the building boom as a way to save costs, and now they could become the county's problem.

Although there's no record of anyone becoming gravely ill because sewers overflowed, health officials say sewage spills are hazardous and should be avoided.

Sewer officials say the best way to upgrade faulty systems is for the county to take charge of them, though that would mean taking on the repair costs that property owners now bear.

Fixing the problems could cost tens of millions of dollars. Officials insist they would not use local tax money, but they are still searching for alternative funding.

And they say the problem is pressing.

Older systems, especially on the east side of the county, could falter as the pipes and pumps age, said Marty Flynn, spokesman for the county's Water Reclamation District.

Yet perhaps more troubling are the newer systems acting up because of faulty designs, raising the question of how many are on the verge of failing, he said.

"Are there systems out there in that bad of shape?" Flynn asked. "We know there are problems. How many of those systems have problems, we don't know."

THE SMELLY PROBLEM

A health official said his teams respond almost daily to sewers overflowing throughout the valley, most of them on aging private systems.

Mopping up these spills is a high priority because raw sewage can expose the public to diseases, said Dennis Campbell, who oversees solid waste compliance for the Southern Nevada Health District.

"What you're being exposed to is any human pathogen that could be excreted into the sewer line," Campbell said.

Some mishaps are a result of faulty systems, while others happen because residents flush debris down the toilet, clogging the lines, Campbell said.

After crews sanitize the contaminated area, property managers or owners receive instructions for follow-up work. If they fail to comply, they are fined a minimum of $900, Campbell said.

Until last year, nearly all residential builders who asked to hook their own lines from private streets into the county's sewer system were granted their requests.

Homeowner associations became responsible for maintaining the sewers and paying for repairs from money collected from the residents.

However, the associations often are unaware that they're responsible for upkeep and repairs, in part because they assume the utility fees they pay cover everything, said Rick Donahue, collection systems manager for the county Water Reclamation District.

Last year, the county responded 34 times to private sewers malfunctioning in unincorporated areas.

"All 34 times we responded we left them (associations) a bill," Donahue said. "They were surprised."

The homeowners often wind up paying even more to finish the repairs, he said.

In one of the more costly incidents, sewage spilled above ground at Sunrise Ridge in the southeast valley.

The homeowners' group forked out $10,000 to clean up the smelly mess and replace landscaping.

Given the health hazards, several property managers and a home builders' group have begun pushing for the county to take over the private systems.

Their pleas drew support from county leaders who last year began requiring private sewers to meet regional codes.

The county is also paying an engineering firm $160,000 to study four neighborhoods where residents complained about sewer glitches: Spanish Hills, Copper Creek, Sunrise Ridge/Riverwalk and Christopher Collection II.

A short-term goal is to bar developers from installing private systems, and a longer-range goal is for the county to roll all the private sewers into its public system, Flynn said.

"This seems like something that falls better under the county's jurisdiction rather than a checkerboard of homeowners associations," said James Strasser, a property manager with Thoroughbred Management, which oversees Sunrise Ridge.

The company not only wants to avoid cleanup costs, but also the public health threat caused by sewage gurgling above ground, Strasser said.

Homeowner associations often are made up of people who know little about maintaining sewers or detecting early problems, he said.

Putting the systems under the county's authority would create a uniform code for all sewers, avoiding confusion, Donahue said. And it would create the same level of service for all property owners.

PRIVATE OR PUBLIC?

So how do you know when you're hooked to a private sewer?

Public sewers are on public thoroughfares, and private sewers are on private streets, typically within subdivisions, such as gated communities, Donahue said.

For at least 30 years, the county gave developers the choice of installing their own lines on streets they built and linking them to the county's sewer lines and treatment plants, Flynn said.

These invisible boundaries can confuse and irk homeowners who pay the same fees to the county as residents on public streets but don't get the same level of service, he said.

Gated communities can be especially troublesome to repair crews rushing out to deal with an emergency, Donahue said.

Some builders might have fudged on regional design standards to save money, Flynn said. This includes installing pipes that are smaller in diameter than standards called for, and placing manholes every 500 feet instead of 400 feet.

Smaller pipes clog easier, he said. And manholes that are farther apart make it harder for repair crews to gain access to troubled spots.

Lift stations, which pump out sewage, also have fallen into neglect, Flynn said, noting that half the repair calls that crews get are for pumps. Fixing a lift station can cost as much as $20,000, he said.

One property manager said lift stations are probably the biggest headache for homeowner associations.

"They're a pain because of the constant maintenance," said Kevin Wallace, president of RMI Management. "They're frequently vandalized."

He said the 200 homeowners' groups his company oversees are told of their responsibility to maintain private sewers. All of them have a sewer fund created from fees they collect from residents, he said.

Private sewers are bound to malfunction, just like anything else mechanical, he said. Lines can collapse, causing a malodorous mess and a $7,000 cleanup bill.

A builders trade group places much of the blame on the associations failing to tend the systems.

"This might possibly be an HOA maintenance issue or lack of maintenance," said Monica Caruso, spokeswoman for the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.

Builders were surprised to learn that the sewers they installed had gone awry, she said, because they had conformed to regional standards.

"We are supportive of the county's effort to get to the bottom of this," Caruso said. "We need to understand the extent and scope of the problem. After that is: What are we going to do about this?"

$80 MILLION PRICE TAG

As always, the big questions involve money.

How much must the county spend to fix the problems? And how will the county get the dollars?

Donahue said the district is exploring federal grants.

Malfunctioning private sewers are a national trend, given that most of the country experienced vigorous housing growth at the same time, and with the same side-effects, he said.

Federal agencies have looked at the trend and he is looking for federal grants to help local governments fix the problems, he said.

The countywide study should give the district a clearer idea of how much it must shell out to improve the sewers, Donahue said.

"It may cost $100,000 to bring a mile of pipe up to standard."

If so, the county might need to pay as much as $80 million to upgrade all the systems.

Sewer officials, however, don't believe the defects are that pervasive.

Many private sewers are functioning fine, Donahue said.

Still, an outside funding source will be needed if the county takes over the systems.

The district is budgeted about $10.3 million to maintain 2,000 miles of public sewer lines, 28 lift stations and 44,000 manholes.

Those funds are just enough to do routine work and repairs on the county's systems, with nothing left over for fixing private sewers, Donahue said.

And with the county's strained budget, this is not the time to ask for more local tax dollars, Flynn said.

He said lack of oversight caused two large private sewer systems with treatment plants to flounder, requiring costly overhauls. One was Indian Springs, and the other was Blue Diamond Village.

Flaws the county is ferreting out now are smaller and more scattered, but could prove pesky if they're allowed to spread, Flynn said.

As always, preventive measures are cheaper than repairs.

"When you're talking repairs, it's always expensive," Flynn said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.