More developers building subdivisions with private sewers

August 2005
U.S. Water News Online

BRANDON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- More new homes will soon sprout up near lakes, streams and nature preserves now that developers are taking advantage of a court ruling that allows them to build private wastewater treatment facilities.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in 2003 that developers with state permits to build the treatment plants must no longer wait for local approval to sell lots in their subdivisions. That makes it easier for developers to build in rural areas.

"Before the court ruling, we had difficulty bringing certain parcels of land forward for development," Gilbert "Buzz" Silverman, president of Silverman Development Co., told The Detroit News. "Now home buyers have more options."

But some community leaders say it weakens their control over urban sprawl.
"Our local home rule is being usurped by the state," said Jim Creech, manager of Oakland Township, where two subdivisions with private wastewater facilities will soon be constructed.

"Where we once counted on growth in certain areas over the next 25 to 30 years, those parcels will now be developed within 10 or 15 years, or sooner."
Over the past 18 months, more developers have been obtaining state permits to operate the private sewer systems.

Silverman Development recently received approval to develop 67 acres near Long Lake in Oakland County's Brandon Township. The $35 million project will offer 93 single-family homes along with a small shopping center and 15 acres of nature preserves. Private sewer and water systems will serve both the homes and shopping center.

Silverman Development also won approval for a 356-home community in Oakland Township with a private wastewater treatment facility.

Pete Ostlund, chief of field operations for the Department of Environmental Quality's water bureau, said state-certified operators will oversee the long-term operation and maintenance of private wastewater treatment plants, and they will be inspected periodically.

Homeowner associations in subdivisions with private plants will be responsible for upkeep, Ostlund said.

Private wastewater treatment facilities usually are less expensive to operate and maintain than most municipal systems, said Linda Hanifin Bonner, executive director of the National On-Site Wastewater Recycling Association in Edgewater, Md.
On average, a new homeowner can pay a local fee of $10,000 to $30,000 to tap into a municipal sewer and water system, as well as $200 a month for sewer and water services, Bonner said.

By comparison, a new home connected to a private wastewater treatment facility can pay anywhere from $7,500 to $15,000 for a tap and an average monthly fee of $17 for usage. Water services will cost more depending on whether the home will be served by municipal or well water.

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