Petition to Stop the Long Beach Sewer System on Lake Shore Drive

The Long Beach Town Council has officially approved the project to install sewers on Lake Shore Drive beginning in October 2020.

Who is impacted?

• All home owners on Lake Shore Drive will pay the capital charge to install the sewers • All homes on the North Side (Lake side) must connect to the new sewer sytem

How much will this cost?

• The total project estimated loan cost is $7.2m although this will fluctuate based on actual contract bids and interest rates

• Capital loan costs will be repaid by the residents of Lake Shore Drive at appoximately $127 a month for 30 years plus whatever the City charges for sewage- about $45/month

• Costs to hook-up home to sewer system will vary by home and location of existing septic connects. Based on the recent installation of a new water line on Lake Shore Drive I estimate $15,000+ per home owner

Why is this happening?

• The County has put a moratorium in place for homes on the North side of Lake Shore Drive. They are not allowed to repair or replace their existing septic tanks due to several septic tanks failing and falling into Lake Michigan. They must pump and haul their waste if there is a septic failure

• This currently applies to 140 homes. ONLY 10 homes have had any failure.

• Sewer installation is NOT a mandated action by the County.

Concerns:

• The Town Council indicated that Lake Shore Drive and the current utility lines under Lake Shore Drive are in "immenent peril" due to high Lake levels and the erosion of the beach, road and stops. Why would we put a sewer down the middle and instead of 10 homes being at risk- 290 homes worth of sewage is draining into the Lake?

• The projected payment per resident of Lake Shore Drive adds up to much more than the projected costs plus interest.

• With recent unprecidented rains several Northwest Inidana sewer systems have been overloaded and therefore releasing overflow directly into Lake Michigan

• A public hearing is required and obviously due to circumstances this has been postponed. it was indicated by the Town Council that the public hearing would not be to influence a decision. The decision is final.

• The Town Council cannot provide an accurate count of the homes with potential impact of septic failure

Additional Actions You Can Take:

• Email lbsewer@gmail.com to participate in a Zoom educational session and sign a petition against these actions

• Email/call The Town Council

• Tell your neighbors- many residents of Lake Shore Drive don't even know this is happening

Thank you concerned citizens-