Supervisors OK making final colonia sewer plans

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of finalizing plans to install sewage facilities for Avenue B and C Colonia Improvement District #07-09.

The 5-0 vote Wednesday was tentative, as all board members voiced concerns over the lack of final funding numbers and reiterated that the motion was simply moving forward to get final numbers.

The vote, motioned by Lenore Stuart and seconded by Tony Reyes, came after a special session inside Aldrich Auditorium at the Yuma County Development Services Building, 2351 W. 26th St.

It was the latest development in a five-plus-year project that would bring 782 properties into the city of Yuma's sewage system at a cost of approximately $16 million. The board said it would hold another public hearing once finances are finalized.

Then, if finalized costs are too high for residents but the board of supervisors votes to go ahead with the project, procedures can still be halted by a petition with 51 percent of resident signatures. The timetable for signature collection was unclear.

The colonia involved is bounded by Avenue B on the east and Avenue C on the west. The north-south borders are 1st and 8th streets, respectively. The area covers approximately 361 acres and in northwest Yuma.

It is estimated that of the 782 properties, or parcels, 96 percent rely on cesspools or septic tanks for waste disposal. Existing Yuma sanitary sewer services cover 4 percent of the homes.

The main worry is that wastewater leaking from cesspools or septic tanks could pollute shallow groundwater or runoff into areas closer to the Colorado River, affecting environmental and human living conditions. But there are economic considerations as well, both for low-income property owners and businesses such as RV parks, which could incur considerable cost if they decide to hook into the main system.

One woman spoke in favor of the project for 40 Spanish-only-speaking residents of the area. Through a translator, she said the residents "live it every day. We can't have a cookout because it's so smelly outside. It costs $300-500 to have a septic system cleaned, and it's hard for us to absorb that. It's like we're living in a cesspool."

John Valentine, an owner of an RV park in the colonia, said the plan would put him out of business because he could not pay hookup fees. The board of supervisors said no RV owners would be required to pay hookup fees until septic systems failed and they could not adequately replace them.

Another opponent noted that the plan is a "grand intention, but I can't run a business without knowing the cost." Another opponent said he could not "give (the board) a blank check. I hope you won't do that to us."

The board of supervisors had 50 requests to speak. Comments were limited to 45 minutes on continuing to garner additional information on the two plans, labeled 2A and 2B, and what it would cost residents per month. The current estimate is $70, plus city of Yuma sewage fees.

One plan, 2A, involves one lift station, at 1st Street near Avenue B. The other, 2B, uses three.

One of the three is the one to be used in 2A. The other lift stations are along 5th Street and Linda Lane.

Plan 2A is estimated to cost approximately $275,000 - or 2 percent - less than 2B's $16.2 million price tag. When 10-year equipment costs are factored, the prices escalate to $16.3 million and $16.7 million for 2A and 2B, respectively.

Project totals include all professional services (designs, studies, etc.), administration and legal services and land acquisition. Administration and legal fees tally just 2 percent of the total. All designs comply with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality requirements, and a standby generator and odor control devices are also included.

Each of the two proposed solutions involves two smaller wastewater connections to the Yuma/Mesa Trunk Sewer, with the rest of the system connected to a 42-inch sewer collector line on Avenue C. Eight- 12- and 16-inch piping is expected to be used to connect housing to main lines.

Spokespersons for Huitt-Zollars, the firm hired to design the project, said they feel they are finished with the plan and design phase and are awaiting the decision. They recommend using Plan 2A.

The project's continuation will likely come down to final costs. Under the plan's wastewater project money breakdowns, an estimated 75 percent can be covered by grants, while 25 percent would most likely be covered by loans.

Of the $16 million estimated costs, then, $12 million has reasonable potential – though not certainty - of being paid by grants. Board of Supervisors Chairman Greg Ferguson said he doubted the grants would
reach the 75 percent mark.

The district will not know precisely how much will be funded until the U.S. Congress finishes its budget. Deadlines for funding requests for 2009-10 are Oct. 15. The fiscal year is defined as July 1 through the following year's June 30.

A representative for U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development said the labeling of the project as a colonia could increase the grant amounts to more than 75 percent. USDA Rural Development can only attempt to gain more grant dollars with the decision to proceed because of needing to show Congress commitment to the project.

An Environmental Protection Agency representative said the colonia project, on the agency's grant fund budget since the 2005-06 fiscal year, has already had a one-year extension – the largest offered – after its two-year timetable to use grants expired. It cannot extend its $2 million offer again, so the funding will be lost if the project does not approve final design plans as of July 2009.

Fee hookups for all developments – mobile homes, manufactured homes and site-built homes – will be at the same rate as that charged to Yuma city residents. All home costs vary by typical water amenities (washer, dishwasher, etc.).

There are no plans to annex the colonia area. However, if residencies are within 300 feet of a city sewer line, ADEQ rules state if a septic system fails, the occupying residence must pay 100 percent of the costs to hook up to the city system.

The city is getting consistent requests for aid for people who state they cannot afford to fix or flush septic systems, something much more expensive than hooking into the city setup. Of the 782 parcels, the city estimates 10-15 percent do not use city water. Those would incur additional costs of hooking up. District monies would pay for any sewage post-connection repairs to residences, such as driveway replacement or repaving.