By JOHN THOMPSON
Coweta Editor

Within the next few weeks, Senoia's Sewer Committee could make a recommendation to the city council that will help the city decide what direction it wants to take in dealing with updating the city's ancient septic system.

The city has studied different sewerage proposals for the last several years and has tried to find a way to integrate a sewerage system into the city. In the last two years, the need for a system has become more apparent as a community system failed in the Martinwood subdivision, and some of the older septic tanks in the city have started to falter.

During Monday night's meeting of the sewer committee, member and city councilwoman Judy Belisle suggested the group start wrapping up its study portion and get ready to make a recommendation to the city.

The committee's primary focus is deciding whether to buy a wastewater treatment system from Southern Mills. The city has been debating the Southern Mills proposal for two years, but seems ready to make a decision within the next few weeks.

In 1996, Southern Mills offered to sell the facility to the city for $400,000. The sewer committee has learned that the mill plans to keep the treatment plant, but sell the actual 100-acre spray site and ponds to the city.

Committee member Bill Roy said meetings with county officials and sewerage experts have indicated the site would work for the city, but he would like a little bit more information.

The committee will ask the city council for a brief synopsis from the city's engineering company, Turnipseed Engineering, on the viability of the system and exactly what the city would be getting from Southern Mills if the purchase went through.

The committee also wants Turnipseed to get in touch with the mill to see if the $400,000 figure is still valid, since the offer was made two years ago.

The city must deal with the sewerage situation before bigger problems start popping up, said Roy.

"The EPA could come in here and say you've got 60 days to clean this up," he said.

Currently, the city has nearly 50 homes in the older part of town with outdoor toilets or which are not in compliance with state sewerage guidelines. The town received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Community Affairs last year to provide sewerage to the city's low-income residents. The city recently learned the grant expired at the end of July, but city officials have said they would just have to reapply and the grant would be reactivated.

The city is also hauling wastewater away from the Martinwood subdivision on a weekly basis after its drip irrigation system failed. City leaders have maintained Martinwood will be the first area to receive sewerage after the low-income residents.

"We've got no choice. We've got to do something," Roy said.