Lake Butler Community Page News Tidbits

On April 15, 2019, the Gainesville Sun published an interesting article describing how untreated human waste spills fuel blue-green algae blooms and red tide recently plaguing our waterways and coastal waters.  The bulk of the report addressed in great detail how antiquated, failing sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants throughout the state are the main contributor to these spills and billions of dollars are needed to effect their repair or replacement.  With that in mind, I’d like to discuss my favorite place, Lake Butler, Florida.

Lake Butler was incorporated in 1893.  While I cannot determine with certainty when the first sewer lines were installed, I know we have terracotta, also called clay, sewer pipes that were installed as early as 1913 still in service.  We also have cast iron, Orangeburg, Bermico, Transite and most recently, PVC sewer lines.  Because of ground settling or poor bedding at installation, clay and iron are susceptible to joint displacement and fracturing.  Iron also suffers over time with the inside diameter becoming restricted with rust due to the powerfully corrosive sewer gasses.  Orangeburg and Bermico are made primarily of liquefied coal tar impregnated cellulose and if not otherwise damaged are prone to flatten and collapse with age, dislocating joints. PVC, the current favorite is more flexible, durable, has better o-ring sealed joints and far less prone to failure than the older types.  The brakeage or collapse of pipes, or dislocation of joints allows ground water, raised by frequent rain, to intrude into the system which also washes surrounding sand and dirt into the pipes as well as allowing roots to intrude, eventually obstructing the flow of waste water.

Sadly, this is a problem that was known or suspected for years but no aggressive action has been taken until mid-2018 to address it.  At the recommendation of an engineer, daily record keeping since August 2018, has demonstrated there is a serious problem with ground water intrusion into our gravity sewer system during rain events, on occasion tripling normal daily wastewater volume.  Through the efforts of our current City Manager and approval of the Commission to pursue a grant, we will soon have a contractor flushing all debris from our existing gravity sewer lines followed by cameras being used to video record the condition of what is estimated to be up to 50,000 feet of pipe.  That will identify exactly the location of damage requiring repair or replacement of pipes as well as digitally mapping our entire system for future reference.  An engineering company the City has contracted will develop a plan and cost analysis for the repairs based on the video inspection to facilitate receiving state and/or federal grants to assist in making our sewer system viable for another 40 – 50 years.  An additional long term benefit will be curtailing the current loss of man hours almost weekly devoted to effecting repairs to a failing, obsolete system. 

Additionally, the City is in the process of pursuing grants to replace our seven obsolete lift stations and replace or modernize and increase the capacity of our wastewater treatment plant. 

Water and sewer service is considered an enterprise and as such should be self sustaining through customers paying for the product.  That cost must include not only the price of pumping water from the ground and treating it before customer use, but also treating the resulting sewage, paying the wages and benefits of employees maintaining the system, paying for equipment repair parts and funding a reserve for eventual replacement of the system. 

Currently there is a relatively small reserve for water and sewer as a result of historically artificially low rates.  The cost to operate the system in all respects has gone up every year, while the customer cost has remained lower and in many cases far lower than other municipalities.  Last October, residents noticed a slight increase in their water and sewer rates.  That was the first rate increase in 10 years.  During the first two years I was on the Commission, I was made aware the City was being annually advised by a state agency to raise its rates for sustainability.  Politically, no one wants to raise rates because even though the resident or business owner is paying for a service, increasing rates is perceived as a tax increase which is as unpopular as death.  Lake Butler’s infrastructure is almost 100% depreciated, much of it far beyond its design service life.    As the City has chased grants the last 12 months, a consistent refrain has been agencies holding grant purse strings are reluctant to give assistance to municipalities that are not helping themselves, even those considered economically depressed like us.  As Lake Butler and all that enjoy living here look to the future, it is incumbent on us all to contribute to its sustainability. 

Submitted by Jack Schenck, City Commissioner