Issues with drainage and failing septic tanks are plaguing upscale Buckhead North, a resident said Tuesday during the Bryan County Board of Commissioners regular meeting in Richmond Hill.
“Residents are getting to the point (where) septic (tanks) are failing every six months,” said Jean Perani, who spoke up at the commission meeting at the County Administrative Complex. “We cannot go on like that.”
Perani said she is part of a Buckhead North Homeowners Association committee trying to find a solution.
“Basically, we’re trying to investigate if there’s any possibility of bringing sewer into that area,” she told commissioners.
Septic tank and drainage woes apparently are nothing new in the neighborhood, and District 4 Commissioner Carter Infinger said the county looked into running sewer into the neighborhood last year, but the cost of about $25,000 per home was too prohibitive.
He told Perani the HOA could borrow the money and put in a system itself, and that would cost roughly $4.3 million.
Commissioners also briefly discussed creating a special tax district to help pay for the service.
Ultimately, County Administrator Ray Pittman promised Perani the county would do what it could, though it was unclear at Tuesday’s meeting what that might be.
“If you would like, we can set up a meeting with the homeowners association,” he said, handing Perani his card.
Also unclear is how many homes are suffering from the problem. Perani said it was “quite a few.”
“We have to have some relief,” she said. “There are nice homes, $400,000 homes. You need to be able to flush your toilet.”
Commission Chairman Jimmy Burnsed sympathized with Perani and told her he wished the board could give her a better answer.
“We know it’s been coming up over the past several years, this is not new,” he told Perani. “Of course, we’ve had more rain this year than we’ve normally had, and that also creates a problem for septic tanks and drainage issues. Let us continue to work on it.”