Residents show support for connecting creek-threatening septic system to Lacey sewer
A majority of residents who live in a northeast Thurston County neighborhood support connecting their failing septic system to Lacey sewer.
That’s according to Peter Brooks, Lacey’s water resources manager, who provided an update on the Tolmie Park Estates issues to a City Council committee last week.
The community is in Lacey’s urban growth area, south of Hawks Prairie Road Northeast but north of Britton Parkway Northeast.
Tolmie Park Estates and its 47 property owners are connected to a large on-site septic system that is failing. If left untouched, the system threatens the health of a nearby creek that flows into Woodland Creek and finally Henderson Inlet on Puget Sound.
Brooks said the septic system has not done well for several years and the engineer who operates it is retiring.
“The community wants to get on Lacey sewer,” he said, adding that a recent petition circulated among property owners showed that 85 percent support the move.
Taking into account possible parcel owner errors, Brooks still estimates that 74 percent still want to move forward with the project and create a Utility Local Improvement District to help finance the septic-to-sewer conversion.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $3 million. Lacey has pledged $2 million of that total, which means about $1 million has to be financed through the ULID and repaid by Tolmie Park Estates. The monthly assessment for property owners is estimated at around $100 per month, much lower than if the entire project was financed, according to the city.
The city will help secure the financing and manage the project, city Finance Director Troy Woo said. Construction is expected to take place in 2023, he said.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
