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DALLAS TWP. — David Chmarney told the supervisors Tuesday that his home and nine others on Country Club Road have been receiving sewage back-up for five years.
He asked the supervisors why building permits were issued for three new homes on his street, if the terra cotta sewage lines couldn’t accommodate the 10 existing Country Club Road properties.
After a heavy rainstorm, Chmarney said, sewage backs up into his first-floor toilet and shower. He added that he’s also heard complaints from neighbors that they’ve seen feces and toilet paper seeping through their lawns and driveways.
He said he notified the Dallas Area Municipal Authority of the problem numerous times, but nothing has been done.
Township Engineer Tom Doughton, who also serves on the DAMA board of directors, pointed out that if DAMA issues a sewage permit for a new property, then Len Kozick , the township’s zoning officer, is obligated to issue a building permit.
Doughton said more than $85,000 in engineering and design fees have been spent trying to rectify the problem. The affected houses have gravity sewage systems, which Doughton said do not work efficiently when bathroom fixtures are located below the first level.
He said DAMA offered to install $12,000 “grinder systems” for each of the residents. Grinder pumps utilize a holding tank on the individual properties before flushing sewage to the main line.
“Grinder pumps will completely alleviate the problem,” he said, adding some residents refused the offer. Doughton said he will be attending the next DAMA meeting on the 10th and hopes to report a solution at the next supervisors meeting on the 15th.