ROCKLAND, Maine — The city is discovering an increasing number of shared sewer lines that run across the back of homes, and sometimes under them, creating a legal nightmare for residents and the municipality.
These shared sewer laterals create problems when sewage backs up in the basement of one home but the people who share the lines cannot agree on a repair.
The Rockland City Council agreed Monday night to ask voters for additional money to deal with these private sewer lines. The council added $400,000 to a proposed $10 million bond issue that will go before residents on the Nov. 8 ballot for upgrades to the city’s aging sewer system.
Holmes Street resident Nicole Fuller said she is one of the many people who face a dilemma when it was discovered that her home is connected to a sewer line that runs across a neighbors’ property on Purchase Street rather than directly from Holmes Street.
In her case, her neighbors undertook a significant renovation to their home that included lifting the house and building a basement. When the house was raised, the contractor found that a sewer line not known by the city went under the house and connected to Fuller’s home.
Fuller said neither she nor her neighbors were aware of that when they bought their homes.
“This is a little difficult to navigate,” she said.
Rockland Wastewater Treatment Plant Director Terry Pinto said the Purchase Street-Holmes Street situation is one of nine examples of shared sewer laterals, but he expects there are many more that no one is yet aware. He said that in most instances, the city becomes aware when there is a backup in one home but the neighbors who share the line cannot agree on who will pay for repairs.
“One neighbor has a sewer overflow, and the other neighbor will say, ‘You’re not digging up my yard.’ The city can do nothing, it’s a civil matter,” Pinto said.
The city does not have the right to go onto private properties to replace lines, he said. The best solution is to extend sewer lines to in front of the homes and then the homeowners can connect to the public sewer line.
Sandra Payson of Broadway and Brett Ross also face the dilemma of having a sewer line that runs behind their homes and two others before connecting to a city line on Pleasant Street.
Payson said she has had to have a company come in and unplug a blockage that had raw sewage cover her basement floor.
Payson and Ross said they would not be able to sell their homes unless the situation is corrected. They said they were pleased that the council was taking responsibility and were hopeful the money would be approved and sewer lines placed in front of their homes so they can connect directly and not through neighbors properties.
At Monday night’s council meeting, Councilor Valli Geiger urged the council to add money into the bond referendum.
“When people bought their homes, they bought into the sewer system. They’ve been paying their sewer fees. The city needs to take some responsibility,” Geiger said.