Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Pump problems plague Emmet

Pump problems are plaguing the Emmet sewer system.

Emmet Mayor Dale Booker, addressing the Emmet City Council at its regular meeting Wednesday, June 16, said the city is having to spend more than $10,000 to repair and replace sewer pumps at this time.

A sewer pump on Hickey Lane went out about three weeks ago, he said. It has only been in use for two years, but, after it was pulled, something hard was found in it. Booker said it was either a piece of metal or a rock.

Regardless of what caused the damage, it will cost $2,500 to repair.

The second pump in the well, he said, needs $4,000 work because of problems.

In addition, a pump on Sixth Street had problems and had to be pulled because it couldn't handle the overflow. When this pump was pulled, the city learned the other pump wasn't capable of handling the extra load. A new pump here will cost the city $2,500.

The first pump to be pulled at Sixth Street, Booker said, was damaged when a rag got into it and will cost $1,200 to repair.

"This is a good blow to our cash assets," Booker said. "We need to do something to recoup this money."

His idea is to remove the $4 currently being paid by Emmet residents for garbage pickup and put the money in the sewer budget. Booker told the council the city can get by with its part of the county's one-cent sales tax for the sanitation department.

By doing this, he said, the residents won't be charged any more, and there will be more money for the sewer department. The board agreed and passed the measure.

When the pumps are repaired and back in place, he said, the city will have a new five horsepower pump it can use as a backup in emergencies.

Booker talked about the flood plane plan as well, saying a lot of people are negative about it and don't think the government should be able to tell anyone what, or even if, they can build on their property.

Emmet, though, has been participating in the flood plane program since the 1980s. This program is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has been placed under the new Homeland Security Agency.

Booker said the regulations are even more rigid than before, and those communities and counties not participating in the program would not be eligible for federal assistance in the event of a disaster.

Additionally, if a county doesn't participate in the program, property owners won't be allowed to build on their land, they could not get flood insurance and they wouldn't be able to refinance their mortgages.

Since James Roy Brown has been the Nevada County Judge, Booker said, the county has received more than $10 million in federal funds for disasters.

The county, he said, received $12,000 to fight the West Nile Virus last year, but the funds arrived too late to be of use at the time.

This year, though, the county has purchased mosquito abatement pellets which will be dispersed to cities. These pellets, Booker said, can only be used in standing water and are supposed to kill mosquitoes in a 50-foot radius.

Geary Muldrew voiced complaints about unkept property to the council.

He said there are properties on the East side of Emmet that look like a jungle and the city should clean them up.

It was explained to him the properties in question are privately owned and the city can't legally mow them.

Booker said several attempts have been made to find the owners and have them clean the land up. However, in some instances the property is in the hands of 10-15 different people.

Muldrew also complained about natural gas leaks and wanted the council to make Arkla Gas repair them.

Booker said Arkla is a private business the city has no control over. He suggested Muldrew call Arkla with his complaints instead.