Lower Nazareth Residents Say Forced Sewer Hookup Stinks

In a letter dated April 18, the owners of about 36 homes on Christian Springs Road in Lower Nazareth Township received an alarming notice from the solicitor of the Nazareth Municipal Sewer Authority, Alfred Pierce of . 

That letter, according to four residents in attendance at last night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, outlined the costs the homeowners must bear -- at least $6,300 with payment due in 45 days -- if they are forced to connect their homes to a sewer line being constructed as part of the new Trio Farms development.

David Goerlich Jr., of 4342 Christian Springs Road, pointed out that the fee and the short amount of time to pay do not mesh with today’s economic times.

“None of you can tell me how this is for the betterment of the township,” Goerlich said.  “I don’t think people who don’t need new systems should be forced to hook up."

According to the letter, the cost of connection would be:

• A $3,500 tapping fee
• A $2,500 connection fee
• A $300 inspection fee

The residents in attendance said that when they questioned what would happen if they did not comply with the letter, they were told the sewer authority would hook up the lines and then place liens on the homes.

“I told [Pierce], ‘You will put a lien against my house because I don’t have the means to pay you,’” said Dawn Rasmussen of 4348 Christian Springs Road. “The people on [Christian Springs Road] don’t have the means.”

According to township engineer Albert Kortze, the new main sewer line will tie into a line east of Route 191 and run to the Trio Farms development and down Christian Springs Road, which is why only those residents are affected. 

Kortze added that although the letter outlined a total of $6,300 in costs, residents would mostly likely face more fees associated with rerouting their plumbing. 

“All of these residents have on-lot sewage, and most are located in the back of the home,” Kortze said after the meeting.  “[The letter] doesn’t include the cost of rerouting the plumbing to the front of house.”

Rasmussen said the board should have done more and better research before voting in January to approve the development, which will include 180 townhomes and 140 single-family homes.

“I think, from the human side of this and the moral side of this, I’d have hoped enough research would have been done by the board regarding the consequences imposed on homeowners,” she said.  “It’s kind of on your backs now.”

Once the new line is complete, which may be late summer if not earlier, the residents will have 45 days to pay the costs of connection, according to township manager Timm Tenges.

Tenges said he has contacted Pierce and has asked if a compromise could be made regarding the 45-day payment period, among other things.

“I suggest this board send [the municipal authority] a letter making that request and the authority would, perhaps, take action at their next meeting,” he said.  “Maybe ask to help finance the cost of this, set up a payment plan, or defer the costs for 36 months.”

Goerlich left unhappy that all questions went unanswered last night.

“None of you are prepared for [this],” he said. “There’s a lot of things to iron out and it’s a shame the development has been inked and these things haven’t been ironed out yet.”

Goerlich added that he’s ready to head to federal court regarding the situation.

“This just is not fair and I want to make sure this does not happen to anyone else in the future,” he said.  “… Anything I can do to help you guys, I’d be more than glad to do it.”

According to township solicitor Gary Asteak, Wednesday afternoon was the first time he had seen the letter.

“I’m not prepared to discuss this, except to say that I believe we can engage in dialogue with the authority before anything happens,” he said. “I haven’t seen any notification to us from the authority other than this letter.”

Asteak added that there had been no discussion between the municipal authority and the township before the letter was mailed. Residents received the letter before the township did.

Chairman Eric Nagle made a motion to not only send a letter to the municipal authority but to have Tenges, Asteak and Kortze meet with authority members.

“We need to do a lot more research on the legal end,” Nagle said. “But believe me, we have your best interest at heart.”

Calls to Pierce were not returned.