Sewer line plan jars some Lexington residents

Some homeowners in a golf course neighborhood in Lexington are rattled by Town Hall’s intent to bury a sewer line next to their backyards.

The work is part of a long-planned $3 million project that is under way to divert sewage from an outdated treatment plant being closed as part of an agreement with state environmental officials.

But the project is causing concern for residents in one corner of the Golden Hills neighborhood who are worried that it could damage homes if blasting or boring through rock commonly found underground in the community is necessary.

“We don’t have peace of mind about this,” said Mike Husman, a homeowner in the neighborhood in the center of town. The 21-inch-wide pipe will come within 41 feet of his home, he said.

Town officials believe adequate safeguards are in place to prevent damage to two dozen homes near the path of the pipe.

“We are as concerned as they are,” Mayor Steve MacDougall said. “We’re doing everything we need to do so they are not affected negatively in any way.”

Town officials so far have rejected demands from homeownersto stop work for four weeks to give homeowners time for an independent assessment before installation proceeds.

That review would let homeowners know if blasting is necessary, decide if another method would be better and secure images of homes before installation of the pipe, Husman said.

Town officials insist a small blast used to loosen rock several hundred yards away is unlikely near the homes. But that prediction doesn’t ease the anxiety of some homeowners.

Digging out rock “can cause fissures and create problems as bad as blasting,” Husman said.

Any blast proposed is reviewed by experts beforehand to make sure its impact is minimal and no threat to homes nearby, Town Administrator Britt Poole said.

“We’re following all industry practices,” he said. “It’s not doing anything unusual.”

Insurance will cover unforeseen damage to homes, officials say, but some homeowners say the risks are being downplayed.

“I’ve seen those types of things go south,” Amanda Holgate said. “We just have a lot of worry.”

Others say the angst is unwarranted.

The installation plan developed by town officials and engineers appears well-designed, said neighborhood homeowner association president, Marty Lefkowitz, whose home adjoins the path of the sewer line.

“I really have no concerns,” Lefkowitz said. “I feel very comfortable.”

The 1-mile line will be buried 6- to 10-feet deep, officials said.

The line being installed is among larger ones in the town network. It will carry an average of a million gallons of sewage daily from several neighborhoods but is large enough to handle twice that amount, officials said.

Going across the golf course instead of through many neighborhoods to hook up to a network of other pipes along 12 Mile Creek downstream has been a long-time town plan. Its route is designed to allow sewage to flow downhill.

Features of the project were reviewed sporadically at meetings with Golden Hills residents as it developed, with a final outline given a few months ago.

Once the work is finished in mid-summer, wastewater formerly handled by the town facility will go to a new state-of-the-art regional disposal plant in Cayce.

The new link will increase the average daily amount of sewage that Lexington residents send there to 1.8 million gallons, officials said.

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This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Sewer line plan jars some Lexington residents."