The Centralia City Council rejected a proposed ordinance that would have allowed some homes in the Fords and Waunch prairies areas to avoid getting on city sewer provided their septic systems are in good working order.
The ordinance failed 5-1. Councilors Bart Ricks, Lee Coumbs, Pat Gallagher, John Elmore and Mayor Bonnie Canaday voted no; Ron Greenwood voted yes. Councilor Gabe Anzelini was absent.
Several of the councilors who spoke on the ordinance worried that it would threaten the city’s water supply.
“Our own council goal is to protect aquifer. Can’t believe we’d go against own goals,” Canaday said.
Since the 1960s, the city of Centralia has required residents to connect to sewer if their building or home is within 200 feet of a sewer line. But connecting can be expensive for property owners, and cost up to $10,000 or more.
Greenwood proposed a change to the city code that would allow houses within 200 feet of a sewer line to stay on their septic system as long as they are in good working order and are inspected once every three years to verify their condition. If the system were to fail or posed a threat to the city’s aquifer, as determined by the Lewis County Health Department Environmental Health Division, then they would be required to hook up to sanitary sewer. It also would have required the city to implement an aquifer monitoring program to ensure the aquifer's condition.
The changes would have affected people living in the Fords Prairie and Waunch Prairie areas, where many homes are still using septic systems. However, city officials want to see those homes hook up to the city’s sewer because the soil in those areas is highly permeable and the city’s aquifer — its only source of drinking water — is not far below ground.
“There’s a reason why these areas are acknowledged as in extreme danger. People don’t understand the impact of not having water until they don’t have it,” Elmore said. “I’m concerned the council set priorities to protect aquifer to have a couple people hook up rather than everyone else have to buy a treatment system.”
Ricks complimented Greenwood on the “good language” written into the ordinance, but said it was too soon to take action.
“I’m not prepared to move forward with this at this time, but let’s move the discussion forward,” he said.
If the council had approved the change, the city would have needed to request that Lewis County change its code for on-site sewer systems.
