LaPorte sewer service decision due

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The LaPorte sewer situation is moving closer to a solution. On Feb. 15, the Fort Collins City Council will vote on a resolution that would allow the city to treat sewer effluent from a defined area around LaPorte.

The issue has been discussed for several months. Current city policy discourages providing services outside the urban growth area. On the other hand, no sewer district serves the LaPorte area, and city officials are concerned about failing septic systems or a possible sewage treatment plant affecting the quality of water in the Poudre River. Both city staff and the county health department have come out in favor of treating LaPorte-area sewage at one of the city's downstream plants.

The city staff has also recommended that Fort Collins charge an impact fee to any new developments hooking up to city sewer, to help pay for the use of city libraries, parks and streets.

Developers Chris Kaul and Charlie Meserlian have been pursuing plans to form a metro district to serve LaPorte-area subdivisions. Such a district could contract with Fort Collins for sewage treatment or pursue building its own treatment facility. If a district does not form, the Fort Collins proposal calls for the city to provide complete sewer service to the defined LaPorte area.

Tim O'Hara, chair of the LaPorte Area Planning and Advisory Committee, said he favors the Fort Collins plan except in one respect. The staff report says that by providing sewer treatment to LaPorte developments, the city could have "more participation in decisions over where and how areas develop in LaPorte."

"That's wrong," said O'Hara. "I don't see how the city can tell the county what to do. We have a plan, and we worked hard on it. I don't think that's going to fly."

At the Feb. 15 council meeting, members will vote on both the resolution and a new ordinance related to providing sewage treatment to LaPorte.