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(Continued from Page 1) sewer service, Mr. Johnson noted. "How are we going to explain when they see their neighbor doing something that the Health Department has been saying for 20 years is a violation?”
"If he’s discharging into the stream, there’s something we can do,” Mr, Shepherd volunteered.
Evfeifif there’s ho pipe leading di-1 rectly from plumbing facilities to the river, sewage may still be flowing from Mr. Atkins’ residence into the Thornton, contended WSA chairman Martin Woodard. Waste could be seeping from the malfunctioning septic field into the groundwater and carried underground to the riverbed or running off on the surface of the ground, he said.
"Can we request the Health Department to check all private sewage' disposal systems (in the service district)?” asked James Swindler.
"Why not just this one?” Chairman Woodard asked, pointing out that the handful of others have already been okayed by local sanitarian Jack Lockhart. If Mr. Atkins refuses to allow the (esting, then the WSA can direct its attorney, Douglas Baumgardner, to "get a bench warrant,” he added.
"We could do the same thing for anyone else not on the system,” Mr. Swindler said.
"He’s the only one,” repeated the WSA chairman.
All other businesses or residences still on septic fields in the service district were checkeaby Mr. Lockhart and found to have “full, working systems,” Mr. Johnson affirmed.
"And this one’s right on the river!” Mr. Woodard pointed out, maintaining that Mr. Atkins would find it impossible, under current regulations, to obtain a Health Department permit for a septic field at his location just a few yards from the banks of the Thornton.
"I wouldn’t want to go quite that far,” countered Mr. Shepherd. He conceded, however, that it would be "very difficult” for Mr. Atkins to meet today’s requirements on size of a septic field.
‘This is a test case,” Mr. Woodard said. "If he can say he’s not going to hook on (to the sewer system), what’s to stop me or anybody else from doing the same thing? We’re just asking you to give it your best shot (in enforcing Hie connection requirement),” he told Mr. Shepherd.
“We don’t have a real good shot, though, as for as our taking any legal action against him,” countered the district sanitation manager. Should the WSA request assistance, the Health Department can only seek permission from Mr. Atkins to conduct the dye test to determine if waste water from his residence is running into the river. Then, if the test shows the septic field is malfunctioning, it’s up to the Authority to take legal action, Mr. Shepherd explained.
“What’s to happen if he refuses to allow the test?” asked Mr. Swindler.
Ducking a direct answer, Mr. Shepherd told the WSA that the last time he visited Mr. Atkins’ prop
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