Eric Thomas has plenty of good things to say about Kimberly Drive, part of the Eau Claire Subdivision off Highway 69 southeast of Columbus.
Thomas’ mother, Della Thomas, has lived on the street since 1992. Eric said he makes a point each fall to deliver sweet potatoes to many of his mother’s neighbors.
“It’s a good, quiet neighborhood,” he said. “Everyone looks out for each other.”
As Eric sees it, there’s just one problem with the neighborhood – one shared by nearly all of the 150 households in the subdivision for decades. When it rains the plumbing backs up, often for days at a stretch.
“It’s been a disaster,” he said. “… When you buy your house, the last thing you should have to worry about is flushing your toilet.”
The county is seeking state and federal funds for a $6.9 million project that would give the residents the option to connect to the Columbus Light and Water sewer system. County supervisors have also committed $400,000 as a match to any assistance the project receives.
A low-pressure sewer system
Eau Claire, composed predominantly of single-family homes, runs along Highway 69 and Pickensville Road. The Columbus city limits is its northern boundary, with Burlington Northern Railroad bounding it to the west and the neighborhoods of Pecan Lane, Kimberly Lane and Dauphine Drive making up its eastern side. It extends just south of Pickens and Cook drives.
The homes there are either on a septic or irrigation system, said District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith, whose district includes the subdivision. He confirmed the Eau Claire’s “low-lying area and high water table” cause significant flooding and plumbing problems, especially in the winter.
Kevin Stafford, the North Mississippi manager for the Neel-Schaffer engineering firm, said the area is relatively flat, and while a CLW sewer connection is nearby, it’s not feasible for gravity to feed the subdivision’s wastewater into the city system.
Instead, Neel-Schaffer designed a low-pressure sewer system for the subdivision, Stafford said. Each house would have a grinder pump and would join to a main line at the street. The cumulative effort of the grinder pumps would push wastewater to the CLW connection.
Residents won’t be forced into the sewer system even if it is built, Stafford said. CLW will offer each resident the chance to connect.
“Whenever you can hook to a centralized system that takes sewage out of your yard where you live, work and play, that’s a good health move for your family,” Stafford said. “More often than not, people choose to connect.”
Possible funding sources
Trip Hairston, board of supervisors president, said county officials have sent letters requesting help to U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly and Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith. They have also spoken to members of the county’s delegation in the state legislature.
Specifically, the county hopes to tap into some of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act funds that the legislature clawed back in its most recent session from projects that weren’t properly documented.
Since design work for the Eau Claire project is complete, and water/drainage/sewer projects were high ARPA priorities, Hairston believes the shovel-ready project should compete well for those dollars.
That said, the county will take the project balance anywhere it can get it.
“The cost is way outside of something we’d do on a regular basis,” he said. “… It never hurts to ask. … You just never know. We’re relying on our state and federal delegates to fight for us on it.”
Supervisor Smith believes the county’s match commitment will make the project more attractive to programs with larger funding sources.
“That is the objective,” he said. “Talking to representatives from Sen. Wicker’s office, it was suggested we create a fund for the match. That certainly creates a more opportune situation for us to be looked upon for some assistance on the federal level.”
In the meantime, Smith is collecting letters from residents with testimonials about their sewer problems as just another way to “justify the ask.”
“With all the eyes that are on this project and the need, I’m very optimistic there will be money directed toward this project,” he said.
‘I’m not holding my breath’
Anniah Lewis isn’t so sure.
Since he and his wife Sandra moved to their home on Kimberly Lane almost 13 years ago, they’ve spent much of that time dealing with the same nightmare sewage scenario as their neighbors.
“If it rains a whole lot, it stops my toilet from flushing and I can’t wash (laundry),” Sandra told The Dispatch on Thursday. “It usually takes three or four days to clear up after a hard rain. If we get constant rain over several days, it’ll be a week or so before it clears up to where I can flush the toilet.”
Over the years, the Lewises have attended community meetings focused on the problem, and they have heard plenty about possible solutions that never came.
All the while, they felt like they couldn’t have company after big rains to avoid the embarrassment of having to explain that the toilet wouldn’t flush. Dealing with the frequent problem themselves caused Sandra so much anxiety, she wanted to move. Within the past year, the Lewises had a larger septic tank with a pump installed that seems to have solved the issue for now – and set them back $1,600.
“This is the only problem I’ve had (with the neighborhood) since I’ve been living here,” Sandra said. “Everything else has been fine.”
The Thomases have incurred expenses of their own, shelling out $2,900 a few years back to reroute pipes around obstructive roots. That didn’t really solve the sewage backup problem, though, Eric said.
“Doing something in that area would be so vital,” he said. “It would help all the residents and make life so much easier for them. … We’ve been trying to get something done for a while. (The county has) come out and cleaned up the ditches. That didn’t really solve the problem. … They have tried to do things, but it’s like putting a bandaid on a bad cut.”
Sandra said, even with the Lewis’ improved septic system, she would like to connect to CLW sewer if given the opportunity.
“I’m not holding my breath,” Anniah said.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
