(4/25) The cost of people’s bathroom habits were the highlight of April’s Carroll Valley Borough Council Meeting.
About 90-100 Carroll Valley properties have holding tanks, which collect anything that goes down a drain or toilet. Residents must have their holding tank pumped every two weeks at a cost of about $55 to $75 per pump. The borough’s requirement for biweekly collection is based on a recommendation from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Jale and Charles Dalton, owners of Mountainview Realty, wrote a letter to council asking they reduce the requirement to once per month since only two people use their office about 40 hours a week. Hazlett said their usage numbers show once a month would not be enough; however, he will monitor the numbers to see if an adjustment can be made in the future.
Hazlett said tanks cannot be pumped less than once a month, regardless of usage, because the longer human waste sits in a tank, the more expensive it is for the borough to treat it.
The Daltons first requested the change in January and sent a second request in March after their bill jumped 240%. The increase was due to the borough being forced to change haulers when the previous hauler retired. Hazlett said he expects the costs to continue to climb and reminded the public and council that the borough does not have any control over a contractor’s fee.
Hazlett said the borough is trying to alleviate the financial burden by no longer requiring holding tank users to pay for a minimum of 1,000 gallons of waste. However, Hazlett said, the savings is minimal since the majority of the bill is a flat service fee.
"The people in Carroll Valley who are utilizing holding tanks need to realize that it is in their best interest to get off those holding tanks," Hazlett said.
Hazlett said some properties, such as the Daltons’, can connect to the public sewer. He acknowledged the upfront costs would be significant but added they would realize long-term savings.
"Homes on holding tanks do not have the same value as homes on sewage system," he said.
Not all properties using holding tanks can connect to the public system, but can install septic tanks on their property. Those tanks treat sewage on-site and are only required to be pumped every three years.
Hazlett said staff will continue to explore options but believes removing holding tanks is the best solution.
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