A Paradise homeowner is hoping next week will bring him the answer he’s been seeking for over a decade in addressing a serious problem not of his making.
Jim Clarke lives next to the problem-plagued Sanitary Lift Station on St. Thomas’ Line. Earlier this month the facility experienced a system failure that resulted in having to truck sewage to the treatment plant at a cost of $50,000 a day.
Since 2004, Clarke’s property has been flooded by the nearby station five times, but last week, his family suffered the worst incident yet.
A pressure surge Wednesday resulted in an explosion of raw sewage which rained down on his home and property.
This gives you an idea of the house’s close proximity to the Sanitary Lift Station. There’s a smell lingering in the air. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/tYSdGdMbJO
— Victoria Battcock (@VicBattcockVOCM) August 29, 2019
Although crews were on site to clean up, Clarke’s had enough.
His family can’t walk anywhere on their land because it is polluted, and they cannot sleep because of the pumps running 24 hours a day.
Clarke would like the municipality to purchase his property, something he’s been suggesting to the town for more than a decade. The town is currently spending $50,000 a day to clean up the area and reconfigure the space, but he says purchasing his property would have cost a lot less.
He says if they had bought his land years ago, this problem would not have occurred. He says with his land as a holding station, the lift station fix would be simple.
He says the town is supposed to have answers for the family on Tuesday but until then, he can’t BBQ for the long weekend and will have to wait out the noise and smell.
Purchasing the property next door to the site is a consideration that will be tabled at the next council meeting. @VOCMNEWS
— Victoria Battcock (@VicBattcockVOCM) August 29, 2019
Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett says they are working with Clarke to come up with a solution.
In the meantime, the town still doesn’t have a timeline as to when the situation at the lift station will be resolved. He says they have been unable to fully assess the situation because levels in the chamber are still too high to see what’s happening underneath.
