Projects

Once construction of the project is complete, property owners will be required to do the following:

Have their septic tank pumped out, crushed, and filled in.
This cost varies but we have seen these costs range from $800-$2000.
Property owners will also be required to run a new gravity sewer pipe from their house to the new grinder station. This cost is dependent on the distance from house to grinder station, but we have seen unit cost run from $20-$35/foot.

Property owners will be required to run electricity to the new grinder pump alarm panel located adjacent to the new grinder pump.
The required electrical service for the alarm panel is a 40-amp 240-volt circuit. Pricing for this can vary drastically based on current electric service to the house and is best done by an electrical contractor. We have seen costs for this range from $1,000 to $3,000. There will also be a $3000 initial capacity charge due at the time construction is complete.

Having no issues with your septic tank does not mean your septic system is operating as intended. Most issues have to do with the septic absorption field becoming plugged/broken and not filtering the grey water adequately and polluting the soil and groundwater. Per IC 13-26-5-2.5 & 2.6, temporary exemption(s) may be granted to property owners who meet the prescribed requirements.

Your existing grinder station will be abandoned as part of the project. During the final phase of construction, the pump will be pulled out and the basin crushed and filled. The control panel will also be abandoned as part of the project unless it is mounted to your house/garage. If your control panel is mounted to your house/garage, then it will be your responsibility to either abandon in place or remove it altogether.

During the construction phase, it is possible that you will have two grinder stations in your yard until the final phase when your existing grinder station will be abandoned.

The project contractor will coordinate with you or your electrician to make sure that there is minimal downtime for your sewer service. Anticipate a couple of hours for the disconnection and reconnection of your sewer service.

The new grinder station will be located directly adjacent to the existing grinder station. The new control panel will be located directly next to the new grinder station on a 4″x4″ wood post.

Unfortunately it is not an option to move the control panel. A property owner can prepare a variance request to allow the post to be located no farther than 15′ from the grinder station. This location would need to be approved by the District.

In order to install the new equipment and abandon the existing system on your property, the Sewer District needs a new easement that is 15′ in width, in order to abandon the old system and install, operate, and maintain the new grinder station, service lateral, and alarm panel. The existing easement will be eliminated upon execution of the new easement.

The existing easement will be voided upon the recording of the new permanent easement.

The Sewer District will not install a grinder station to serve your property as part of the project. You will still be required to pay the monthly bill and you will still be required to connect to the sewer system at the time of completion. This means that you will need to install the grinder station, alarm panel, and service lateral at your own cost (in addition to abandoning your septic system and providing electricity to the alarm panel).

It will be abandoned as part of the project unless it is currently mounted to the side of a building.

It will be up to you to either abandon the control panel in place or abandon and remove the panel.

The Sewer District has no way to monitor how much sewage is being produced by each property. Adding flow meters at every property would sky-rocket the cost of the project, which would then drastically increase the base rate for every property.

Connection Exceptions
Indiana law does provide certain property owners who would otherwise be required to connect to the System an optional and limited exemption, if additional conditions are met. There are two exceptions under Indiana law:

Indiana Code Section 13-26-5-2.5(b) provides that you, as a potentially affected property owner, may qualify for an exemption from being required to connect to the System if:
you or the previous owner of your property installed a septic system within the last 10 years;
the septic system was new at the time that it was installed;
the septic system was approved in writing by the local health department;
you provide the District with your written notice of potential qualification for the exemption and your desire to claim the same within 60 days of the date of that notice; AND
you, at your own expense, obtain and provide to the District, within 120 days of the District’s receipt of your written notification of potential exemption, a certification from the local health department (or the department’s designee) that your septic system is functioning satisfactorily.
The initial new septic system exemption is limited to 10 years beginning on the date your new system was installed (“Initial Exemption”), therefore, if your septic system is more than 10 years old, you are not eligible for the Initial Exemption.

If you qualify for the Initial Exemption, then you may be able to qualify for two additional five-year exemptions upon the expiration of the Initial Exemption. However, if you later fail to qualify for any of the previously mentioned exemptions, then you will be required to connect to the System at your expense.

You will be provided “official notice” in accordance with the above within 10 days of the District submitting its final plans to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (“IDEM”) for approval and permitting. However, we encourage you to act on this now to avoid any unintended exclusions from the System.

Indiana Code Section 13-26-5-2.6 provides that the District may not require you to connect to the System if:
your property, where the structure is located, is at least 10 acres;
you can demonstrate the availability of at least two areas on your property for the collection and treatment of sewage that will protect human health and the environment;
the waste stream from your property is limited to domestic sewage from a residence or business;
the system used to collect and treat the domestic sewage has a maximum design flow of 750 gallons per day; AND
you, at your expense, obtain and provide to the District a certification from the local health department or the department’s designee that your system is functioning satisfactorily.