Sewer problems aired out

Colfax City Council June 15 night discussed a solution for sewer line problems faced by residents along Park View just north of the Sixth Street bridge in the North Flat.

The five houses in the area are served by a private line which connects to a city sewer main which serves the North Flat.

The sewer main goes under the North Fork of the Palouse River upstream from the start of the flood channel.

A projected illustration of the system showed the private line running in Z configuration going through the addition and connecting with the sewer main at a manhole near the flood channel wall.

The private line requires cleaning about once a year, and the work used to be done by city public works crews.

That service ceased about 15 years ago, and residents now have to pay for cleaning of the private line.

City Administrator Michael Rizzitiello Monday suggested a policy under which the city would share costs of rebuilding the line at 50 percent up to $5,000.

The line would have to be brought up to city standards and residents would be required to provide easements.

City Councilman Jim Kackman suggested the residents could consider a local improvement district under which the cost of the line would be paid out over several years.

An estimated cost of the project was $25,000 for a new sewer main which would be on the Sixth Street side of the houses.