The Future of Sewer Extension in Sedona
At their meeting on July 27, 2010, the City Council discussed the extension of the sewer system to currently un-sewered parcels in the City. The outcome of the discussion was to restrict the extension of the city sewer system to new areas, while allowing connections to continue in areas already having access to the City’s sewer main. There are several reasons for doing this.
Prior to presenting the reasons for slowing further extension of the sewer system, it is important to make a distinction between extensions and connections. An extension occurs when a sewer main is constructed to a location adjacent to a property. The sewer main is adjacent to a parcel when it is next to or on the property, or it is adjacent to the private access to the property. Connection of a parcel occurs when a pipe is installed from a private building to drain wastewater to a sewer main.
The City Council did not restrict the connection of parcels already having a sewer main extended to it. New connections to existing sewer mains are not considered “extensions” of the system. They are simply new connections to the available sewer system.
The Council’s actions were taken in light of several factors affecting the City sewer system:
- Capital project funding priorities for the wastewater system are to enhance treatment and effluent management capacity at the treatment plant. Currently the City plant has the capacity to manage about 1.5 million gallons per day in sewage. If all properties currently identified as having access to the system were to connect, the flow to the plant would be about 1.5 million gallons per day. The City has been working toward preparing plans to address plant limitations to manage the volume of treated water since 2005.
- Rising capital costs for sewer system extension make City-funded expansion of the sewer collection system extremely expensive. Recent projects show extension costs beyond $25,000 per property added to the system.
- Sales tax revenue that supports approximately half of the wastewater system operating and capital improvement costs is declining.
- The City has satisfied Arizona Department of Environmental (ADEQ) requirements to extend sewer to various areas of the City. This requirement was contained in a Consent Judgment from ADEQ.
In light of the above the Council decided to:
- Allow private extensions of the public wastewater system beyond the area that currently has sewer available until August 1, 2011. The volume of wastewater generated by a single extension can’t exceed 5,000 gallons per day. Parties interested in making an extension of the sewer system should contact the City EngineerCharles Mosley at 928-204-7122 for more information. The approval process takes several months and involves obtaining approvals from the ADEQ.
- The City will be reviewing its sewer extension practices within the next couple of years. This will result in a significant revision to the City’s Wastewater Code. The review of past practices will include a recommendation to discontinue the prior practice of regularly providing major wastewater extensions funded primarily through sales tax subsidy. Alternate funding approaches, such as private funding or improvement districts may be considered. The Chapel Area, where an extension of the wastewater system was recently completed, was the last subdivision in the City that was approved for City-funded extension.
These actions allow the wastewater system to operate within its design parameters while the City continues to plan for future growth.
Authored by Sedona AZ Director of Public Works/City Engineer Charles Mosley
