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On America Avenue—“That sewer business done me in prett’near. ' sheBy RON ROYER Staff WriterEllis Halgrimson’s basement was full of sewage last weekend.Across the street. Clayton Collard had his drains packed up with rags, and was using no water.The problem these neighbors faced will likely be shared by other city residents this year us well.Tree roots grow into sewer lines under the street, and drains bubble, then refuse to let anything passThe tough part for the property owner is that he must pay the bill for any blockage that is not in the main sewer line If the blockage is under the street, as it sometimes is, he pays for replacement of the pavement too.Such policy is not unique to Bemidji. Most cities pay dnly for clearing main sewer lines.Collard spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday watching plumbers excavate to a ten foot depth, squarely in the middle of America Avenue, to discover that his blockage was in the “riser” that connects main and lateral lines-within four feet of the main line, but not in it. He will thus share an estimated $700 bill with Halgrimson across thestreet.The Halgrimsons just plain gave up and closed their house. They moved out until the basement oould be drained of standing sewage.Whether the city or a private plumber nandles the problem, according to City Consulting Engineer Jim Walker, “the responsibility for the service is the property owner’s.”It’s always been that way,” he says, “The owner - he’s put it in and he’s maintained it. ”Walker admits that there are special cases, but adds. “The cleaning of that riser (Collard’s) is the responsibility of the owner.”He says there is a regular schedule for city maintenance of the main lines, but not for common sewers, joints, or branch lines They are left up to the property owner.“When someone has a plug and they think it is a city problem, the city runs a rod through and cleans the main if it’s a plug in the main,” he says, but adds, “Any other plug is the responsibility of the property owner, all pipe, including connections, from the house to the main.”Walker adds that in the past, when a backup has been caused by main line blockage, the city has taken the responsibility not only for unclogging the lines, but for cleaning up the homeowner’s basement as well.Halgrimsons and Collards are not the only ones along America Ave. who have sewage problems. Mrs. Beatrice Lee two years ago had two inches of raw sewage in her basement. Since her sewer blockage was not in the main line, the city was not responsible. She alone mopped up four and one half washtubs full of the sludge and carried it up basement stairs to dump it in snowbanks outside her house, just three doors down the street from Halgrimson’s.She paid plumbers one-third of a $1,164.77 trill, and is still paying doctor bills for treatment of an eye infection she got as a result of handling the sewage.Mrs. Lee is 82.recalls.Three times since 1964, Ernest and Leora Solberg who live across the street from Mrs. Lee, have had to call plumbers to unclog their sewer pipes, and they, along with Dr Dick Edwards, shared Mrs Lee’s $1,164 77 bill two winters ago.In her last bout with sewage, claims Mrs. Lee. she lost four nights of sleep because she had to sit up and keep guard so she could open windows when sewer gas smell became to strong She says she has sewer problems about once a yearI was going to call the city manager to ask if I could put in an outhouse,” she recalls. “It sure would have been cleaner than what I had.”According to sewer department boss Mike Barclay, the problem rests in clay and Orangeberg” piping used in early sewer projects He says the pipe settles and cracks allowing nutrient-hungry roots to creep in where they flourish and ultimately clog lines completely.The city is engaged in various states of putting in sewers in four separate projects and planning for a possible multi-million dollar sewer plant. Much of the piping to be used in those projects will be plastic. It has been tested, and is approved by the state, according to Barclay.But will it hold up any better than clay pipe9“Time will tell,” says Barclay.Meanwhile, in an abnormally dry spring, trees are working double time to find water.Sewer pipes offer a rich source of water and nutrients as well.
Newspaper Details
Bemidji Pioneer
Bemidji, Minnesota, US
Thu, May 27, 1976
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USA 24 May 2020
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