After dealing with the issue of failing septic systems and complaints of foul sewage smells in residential neighborhoods for 30 years, the Howell Township Council has initiated a discussion about a plan to extend sanitary sewer service to the Freewood Acres section of Howell.
At a recent council meeting, the members of the governing body heard a presentation from Director of Community Development James Herrman.
Freewood Acres is the area of numbered streets that intersect Route 9 just north of the intersection of Route 9 and Interstate 195.
At the present time, Freewood Acres relies on a combination of wells and septic systems, while some homes are connected to a Manasquan River Regional Sewerage Authority (MRRSA) line that runs through the area, according to Herrman. There are 620 residential lots in Freewood Acres, 85 of which are connected to the MRRSA line.
Freewood Acres has two Category 1 streams that flow into Snipes Creek, which leads to Aldrich Lake. In recent years, the lake has sustained an environmental impact that includes the growth of algae, according to municipal officials.
The Metedeconk River watershed is directly impacted by the septic systems in Freewood Acres, as documented in the Metedeconk River Watershed Protection and Restoration Plan from May 2013.
The decision to connect Freewood Acres homes to the MRRSA sewer line was made in the 1980s, according to Herrman. There were previous attempts to address ongoing issues in the 1980s and in the early 2000s. “One of the major reasons why we are looking to extend sanitary sewer service is because the existing MRRSA line that runs southbound on Route 9 and turns westbound onto West Third Street, south onto Smith Street and up to Hulses Corner Road has had residents make complaints regarding sewage smells, sanitary service and house traps running dry,” Herrman said.
In 2013, Howell had testing performed with the MRRSA around houses in the area to determine if individual homeowners had proper connections to the sewage system, according to Herrman.
“We wanted to see if there was validity to the complaints we have been getting, and after the testing was completed we found several houses that had a questionable connection or no connection to the MRRSA line. This is when we decided to come up with a plan to bypass the existing MRRSA line,” he said.
The new plan that has been presented to the council calls for an 8-inch-diameter gravity sewer line to be installed on West Third Avenue and a portion of Smith Street and to disconnect those homes from the 30- inch-diameter MRRSA line and to connect them to the 8-inch gravity line, according to Herrman.
Howell has a sewer system on Route 9 north that runs from the Lakewood border to Lanes Mill Road. That sewer system is several miles south of Freewood Acres.
Herrman has been working with Maser Consulting and was able to generate plans to continue the sewer line on Route 9 in order to serve residential and commercial properties.
“We are hoping to advance the township’s vision of development and redevelopment along Route 9 and keep commercial development on main roads where business corridors are located. This will create jobs, increase commercial tax revenue and keep more local shoppers in Howell,” he said.
The project will be several years in the making and will require permits to be obtained from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Transportation, and attention to be paid to soil erosion and sediment control.
Herrman suggested pursuing the entire project as one package at an estimated cost of $13.7 million. Breaking up the project into phases could boost the cost to about $16.7 million.
Councilman Bob Walsh said he is concerned some residents in Freewood Acres may not be able to afford a connection fee to a new sewer system and he said that is an issue council members should address.
“We need to make sure the people who do not have the money for this are helped in some way, maybe with a county program,” Walsh said.
Discussion on this issue is expected to continue at the council’s 7 p.m. Feb. 23 meeting in the municipal building.