Timnath advances owner-paid sewer hookups near public sewer lines

The Timnath Town Council approved on first reading Oct. 13 an ordinance that would require owners of covered structures on properties beside streets, alleys or rights-of-way containing public sewer lines to pay for connections. Owners would also have to decommission their on-site wastewater systems. The requirement would apply when a sewer is within 400 feet of the closest property line and a provider is willing and able to serve the property.

Owners of covered structures used for occupancy, employment or other purposes would have 180 days after written town notice to connect directly to the sewer and decommission their on-site systems. A town staff report anticipates no significant direct fiscal impact, though owners may incur connection costs when service becomes available. It identifies enforcement, variance reviews, required notices and coordination with wastewater and water providers as administrative work.

The council set a public hearing and second reading for Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. The hearing is at the Timnath Administration Building, 4750 Signal Tree Drive. The ordinance would take effect only if adopted on second reading.

The changes are intended to protect public health and encourage centralized wastewater treatment, according to the town’s staff report. It says they would reduce risks from aging septic systems, promote consistent wastewater management and simplify long-term utility planning. Timnath has completed a project replacing on-site waste-disposal systems in Old Town with connections to public wastewater mains.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the ordinance would prohibit new septic tanks and other on-site wastewater systems serving new buildings intended for human occupancy in Timnath. The town could not issue permits for those buildings unless a Board of Adjustments variance or an existing-system exception applies. That exception would cover lawfully built, compliant systems with required final written approvals by Dec. 31, or before annexation for property annexed later. On annexed land, excepted systems could remain until they need replacement or expansion, or until a sewer is within 400 feet and a provider is willing and able to serve the property.

The proposal would ban graywater collection, treatment and use, along with graywater treatment works, except for water districts acting as public water providers in Timnath and following applicable rules. A council member said graywater had worked in other states and called it “a practice that could relieve our use of potable water” for irrigation, potentially financed by metro districts or homeowners associations. A staff member cited installation and maintenance costs, water-rights complications and the need for safeguards if a system fails. Another council member asked staff for more information about costs and public-safety concerns before the hearing.