VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) -
It's now official, some Vanderburgh County residents will finally have a new sewer system in their neighborhood.
Vanderburgh County Commissioners gave the green light Tuesday night for construction to begin on a massive project in the Bohannon Subdivision. This is something many residents there have been fighting for years.
Bohannon Estates is in Northern Vanderburgh County, just off Highway 57 and Boonville New Harmony Road. It's the only subdivision in the county still using septic tanks, but now, thanks to a $500,000 grant, construction will begin soon on a new sewer system.
Like many of his neighbors, Roger Bass is tired of dealing with standing water and raw sewage around his home. It's a problem, he says, has plagued his neighborhood for years.
"Can't flush their toilets. Water even backing up, coming up through their toilet, and overflowing in the floor and stuff," Bass said.
The problem, Bass says, doesn't lie with the septic tanks themselves, but from an overflow of storm water. He says when it rains, many yards quickly become flooded, leaving most of that water with no where to go but right into their systems.
"The water is coming from the outside and filling their systems up, and then when the tank gets full, then it backs up into the house," Bass told 14 News.
A lot of the land in the subdivision is prone to flooding, which is why years ago, Bass took the matter into his own hands.
"1986, I brought in 80 or 48 truck loads of dirt and built myself up," Bass said.
Last year, the health department says the standing stormwater and sewage even led to a widespead E-coli outbreak.
Bass says he's not sure yet how much it will cost him to tap into the new sewer system, but he does know it'll be well worth it.
"It'll be a definite plus for the neighborhood," Bass told 14 News.
The sewer project was awarded to BMB Incorporated. A start date has not yet been announced.
We'll keep you updated.
Copyright 2013 WFIE. All rights reserved.
Residents in Bohannon Estates residents will finally have a new sewer system in their neighborhood.
