Nov 13, 2014 By Terry Kish 3 min read

While Scott Township commissioners have been discussing the municipality’s sewer issues for over 40 years, many residents are still dealing with problems that have plagued them for decades.

Residents from part of Claireview Drive were at the Scott Commissioners’ Nov. 11 workshop agenda meeting to ask about the sanitary sewer line that runs behind their homes. When homes were being built on Claireview Drive in the mid-1950s, the sewer line being installed was higher than the basement in some of the homes, so a six-inch sewer line was installed behind about half a dozen houses in the plan.

Around 1975-76, the homes connected to the sewer line behind their homes began to experience sewage backups in their basements when it rained. The township installed a manhole behind one of the homes, snaked the sewer line and have maintained it since 1976.

About a month ago, during an inspection, Robinson Pipe could not clear the six-inch line because it had deteriorated to the point where it is 90 percent blocked. The residents whose private laterals attach to the line want answers about repairing the sewer line.

Township officials have questions about whether the line was ever officially accepted by the municipality. Township manager Denise Fitzgerald said that her staff is searching through old records, including minutes from commissioners’ meetings, trying to find out if the line belongs to the township or is a private sewer line.

Planning commission member Mark Mox, whose home at 28 Claireview Drive is one of the houses attached to the six-inch line, said that he had looked at the township’s ordinances, and in the 1950s, typically roads and sewers were accepted by the township at the same time. Mox said the 1954 sub-division ordinance required the township engineer to review the sewers and no occupancy permits could be issued if the sewers were not approved. In addition, Mox said the deeds of the homeowners do not indicate that the houses are on a private sewer line.

Sheryl Apitsch, who lives at 36 Claireview Drive, said when her home had over an inch of raw sewage backup in her basement in 2007, she received a check for $13,000 from the township insurance carrier. Several of her neighbors who had sewage backup also received payments.

“I had no idea that the sewage backup was the township’s responsibility until one of my neighbors told me,” said Apitsch.

Township officials plan to continue to search records for information on the sewer line before taking action.

After the meeting, Commissioner Bill Wells said he thought that because the township approved the homes when they were built, the municipality should take responsibility for the sewer line.

“These people shouldn’t have to go through this,” said Wells.

In other business, Scott’s annual “Tree Lighting” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Dec. 4 at Scott Park, near the amphitheater.