Sewer system vs. septics?

Dear Editor:

A developer wants to deposit into Sleepy Creek the treated sewage from 400 homes. Sounds awful! There must be some danger to the environment. Indeed, every week it seems there is some letter to the editor condemning these plans.

This kind of knee-jerk, short-term, unscientific thinking is what has brought us suburban sprawl, dependence on gasoline, long-commutes, high heating bills and the recently defeated zoning plan. Is the environment, Sleepy Creek, or indeed any human being, better off with 400 individual septic systems and 800 acres turned into lawn?

The soil in Morgan County tends to be shallow and full of shale, treating effluent poorly. Many marginally perking systems have been approved here to accommodate landowners. If we really want to help the environment, we should more vigorously enforce the standards for individual septic systems.

Tim Seims
Ridge

Editor’s note: For those interested, the State Department of Environmental Protection is planning a public hearing about the sewer system for the proposed development in February, not January as originally thought. The details have not yet been announced.