Tile blockage causes stink (4/22/05)

Portland Aviation Board members learned Wednesday that a drainage tile which runs through a rural Portland man’s property and through Portland Municipal Airport was crushed during work on phase one of the taxiway extension project, causing raw sewage to pool on the man’s property.

Mid-States Engineering project engineer Mike Evans said contaminated water is pooling on the property of Justin Schafer, 825 West 100 North, who lives near the airport.

Because the clay tile was broken, the water draining from his field and the filtered water coming from his neighbor’s septic system cannot make it out to a ditch. This is causing the neighbor’s septic system to back up and release raw sewage on Schafer’s property, Evans said.

Fleming Excavating of Decatur, which constructed the taxiway extension, will replace Schafer’s tile, Evans said. The cost of the new tile will be paid through Federal Aviation Administration grant money, but Evans is hoping Fleming will pay for the installation. Evans said $1,200 of a FAA grant to the airport has not been spent and could be used to pay for the new tile.

The septic system owned by Dick Shreeve, 735 West 100 North, will have to be replaced, said Dave Houck, environmentalist/administrator of the Jay County Health Department. Shreeve will have to pay about $8,000 for a new system, he said.

The broken tile was one of many problems discussed on April 8 during a final inspection of the taxiway extension project. Representatives from Mid-States Engineering, Fleming and the Indiana Department of Transportation attended the event.

The waste coming from Shreeve’s home runs to a septic system. The water from the septic system flows through a line and connects to the tile that runs through Schafer’s property. The tile runs south under airport property. It then empties into the Sipe-Wehrly Ditch, which is located south of the taxiway extension. The tile was likely crushed when Fleming constructed the taxiway, Evans told the board on Wednesday.

Houck said Thursday that Shreeve’s old septic system will need to be replaced with a new system. Houck was unaware of the problem until contacted by The Commercial Review.

The Indiana State Department of Health requires old septic systems to be replaced when a system needs to be repaired or an addition is made to the residence, Houck said.

Raw sewage pooling on someone’s property is a health hazard, Houck said. It may contain several illnesses and could be a breeding ground for mosquitos, he said.

Schafer said Thursday that he discovered the tile was broken in February or March of this year. He said the sewage in the field doesn’t really bother him, and he plans to plant his corn around it.

Evans said Schafer realized the tile was broken when he found the water on his property. He then contacted an airport official, who later called Evans.

As part of the extension project, Fleming was supposed to find the drainage tile running through Schafer’s field and replace it with plastic pipe. Evans said Fleming officials told him they could not find the clay tile.

Evans hopes to have a cost estimate for the pipe and labor from Fleming sometime next week, and for the pipe to be installed by the next board meeting, which is Wednesday, May 18, at 3:30 p.m. After the meeting, Evans said he hopes Fleming comes up with a low estimate, since it should have found the tile and replaced it when the taxiway extension was done.

The tile currently runs under the taxiway extension. Evans said the new tile could be rerouted or Fleming could bore under the taxiway. The contractor will make a suggestion on a possible solution and present it to Mid-States. Final approval will be made by the aviation board, Evans said.

Other problems were found during the inspection, Evans said, including the fact that none of the grass seed planted in connection with the taxiway extension has grown.

In March, board members signed a change order with Fleming to pay for extra grass seeding needed for the taxiway extension project.

The company’s original bid for its work on the taxiway increased by $1,293 because of grading and seeding needed at an area located at the east end of the airport, which is located on the city’s north side. Dirt was removed there to help build the taxiway extension.

The grass seed was planted in November 2004 and still hasn’t grown.

Evans said Fleming also planted grass seed wherever dirt had to be moved for the project. None of it has grown either, he said.

Evans said the grass probably didn’t grow because it was planted too late in the year. Fleming will have to pay for new grass seed and also cover the cost of planting it, he said.

Fleming also needs to replace a paved area in the center of the airport that was crushed by heavy equipment, Evans said.

The 30-foot long strip of asphalt located on the north side of the taxiway goes to the Tee-Hanger area. Steel plates were put down to protect the pavement, but it was still damaged. Fleming will have to pay for this to be replaced, Evans said.[[In-content Ad]]