The Indiana Law Blog: Environment - Indianapolis switch from septics to sewers

July 19, 2004

Environment - Indianapolis switch from septics to sewers

Yesterday's (Sunday's) Indianapolis Star had a neighborhood opinion piece on the "Burdensome switch from septic to sewer." Some quotes:

Indianapolis is the only major city in the United States that is replacing private septic systems with municipal sanitary sewers and requiring property owners to pay most of the cost. There are about 30,000 septic tank systems in Marion County, mostly in outlying areas, but some are in Center Township. Of that number, 18,000 have been classified by the Marion County Health Department as community health risks; they must be replaced.

The city-county government is utilizing an Indiana statute, the Barrett Law, to replace septic sewer systems. Under this law, homeowners may be assessed up to 10 percent of the value of their property to bring a municipal sewer through a street into the owner's neighborhood. Depending on the size of the project, it could cost between $7,000 and $20,000 or more per homeowner.

This is not the only cost to the property owner. Additional outlays include the cost of the sewage line from the house to the street; having the septic tank emptied and filled with dirt, sand or gravel; and if the house has a basement with a restroom, the owner may be required to install a holding tank and pump.

Utilizing the Barrett Law is destructive to neighborhoods and is adding to the number of homes in foreclosure. Of the projects under the Barrett Law, 25 percent of the homes have been foreclosed. Many of the people living in these homes are senior citizens who have been there for decades.