The city likely won't force a Blenheim Road resident to hook up to a planned sanitary sewer extension next year after hearing the homeowner installed a new septic system on his property months after being told by city staff that no extension was planned.
The service extension is part of road reconstruction planned between Devil's Creek and Mount View Cemetery. The $3.4 million project will include replacement of a watermain that has reached the end of its service life after experiencing several breaks over the past few years.
The cost of the sanitary sewer extension alone is about $300,000.
Eight homes along the stretch are currently without municipal service connections and could be required to connect to it at a cost of about $25,000 per homeowner.
Wastewater funds collected from municipally serviced ratepayers finance the replacement of existing wastewater infrastructure, but when new infrastructure is being installed, the city has the option under the Municipal Act to assess charges to property owners where the infrastructure doesn't exist.
Council will decide next week if the city will subsidize the cost, or require homeowners to pay for the lateral connections.
One of those homeowners, John Bourbonniere, told council when the report was tabled last month that on June 16, 2022, he asked city staff if there were any plans to bring a sanitary sewer extension to his part of Blenheim Road.
Staff sent an email to Bourbonniere saying no extensions were planned, prompting him to seek out a contractor to replace his failing septic system.
The preparatory work went ahead, including permit applications with the city, and in January of this year, the city approved it and it was installed.
Then in February the city sent out notices to Blenheim Road residents, including Bourbonniere, notifying them that the city is planning to connect their homes to a sanitary sewer extension in 2024.
"We invested $32,724.80 to install our new septic system which has an approximate lifespan of 40 years," Bourbonniere said, adding he has contacted a lawyer and had the email to prove the city's error.
Hearing that, council deferred its decision on the servicing extension to give staff time to sort it out.
Now a fourth option being tabled Tuesday will exclude Bourbonniere's property from connecting to the extension next year.
The option would require the homeowner of 148 Blenheim Rd. to cover the costs of connection to the sanitary at time of septic system failure, or within 40 years whichever occurs first.
