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Runyan Lake is protected by a sewer
system. Our lake and ground water quality continue to benefit from this action.
History:
During the period of 1988 to 1991, the properties around
Runyan Lake were connected to a community septic system. This system, which had
its leaching beds, or septic fields, located away from the lake, began the
process of protecting and cleaning the waters of Runyan Lake.
No longer did water
leaching from individual septic systems reach Runyan Lake. This important change
also helps protect our private wells by preventing groundwater contamination.
This system functioned as a community sewer system and was operated and
maintained by the Livingston County Drain Commission.
How it works:
The sewer system
around Runyan Lake operates differently than many sewer systems. A traditional
sewer system has a pipe that connects to your home. This pipe carries the waste
to a sewer treatment plant for processing.
The Runyan Lake
system has several additional components. Each home has a holding tank. Most of
these tanks are black plastic and hold nearly 1,200 gallons. Inside the tank is
a grinder pump, operating similar to a sump pump. When the water in the holding tank
reaches a certain level, the pump turns on and pumps the water and waste into the sewer
system piping, which goes in our case to the White Lake Road pumping station.
From there it goes to the Genesee County treatment plant.
The holding tank also acts
as a septic tank, breaking down much of the waste using biological activity. The
advantage of the holding tank is that if the power fails, or some other type of
sewer back-up were to occur, you have capacity in the tank so you can continue
to use your household appliances without fear of the sewer backing up into your
home. About 800 gallons of the tank is used for reserve capacity. During a
power outage you should minimize your use of water so you don't overfill the
tank.
Recent upgrades:
During 2003, Tyrone
Township sought to established a regional sewer system. In
response to stricter requirements from the EPA and the MDEQ as well as
performance concerns with the aging septic fields, Runyan Lake residents joined
the new Livingston Regional Sewer System. With this improved system waste water is pumped to a
sewer treatment plant located in Linden, which is operated by Genesee County.
As part of this
upgrade, the pumps located in the septic tanks are being changed to more
reliable, better performing "grinder" pumps to pump away all sewage waste
material. Because of the pump change, residents should no longer need to have
their holding tanks pumped periodically.
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Livingston Regional Sewer System:
This system provides public sewer services to the
following Tyrone Township areas: Cider Mill manufactured home park,
Irish Hills, Old US-23 corridor (north and south of
Center Road), Runyan Lake, The Preserve, and
Tyrone Woods manufactured home park. The northern
portion of Hartland Township is also connected to this system. It is
anticipated Lake Tyrone, Lake Shannon, and The Hills of Tyrone South will also
connect in the future. It should be noted that approximately 328
Residential Equivalent Units (REUs) of the 2016 REUs allocated to Tyrone
Township are for Runyan Lake area residents, meaning Runyan Lake residents represent only 16%
of the sewer system's intended users, however Runyan Lake users make up
approximately 70% of the current sewer system users. To those township residents
concerned about the sewer debt, Runyan Lake users are paying customers. It is
the bulk of the remaining 84% of the sewer system's intended users that are not paying their share,
and thus creating the financial hardship for the township.
What you need to know:
The water
level in the holding tank is monitored by a level system. If the water level
becomes too high, an audible alarm and flashing light will activate. The alarm
and light are part of a control box mounted to the side of each home. The alarm
can be silenced by pressing the silence button. The light will stay on until the
water level is back to normal depth.
If the alarm
sounds, IMMEDIATELY CALL the Livingston Country Drain Commission at
517-546-0040. Leave a message if outside of normal business hours. You will receive a call
back and maintenance personnel will arrive shortly to identify the cause of the
alarm.
Until the cause of
the alarm is identified and fixed, water usage must be restricted to prevent a
back-up into your home.
Please also refer
to the sewer system DOs
and DON’Ts based on Livingston County Drain Commission recommendations .
For other sewer and
Drain Commission information please refer to the
Livingston County Drain Commission
web site.
Quarterly O&M:
Those connected to the Livingston Regional Sewer System
pay a quarterly Operation & Maintenance (O&M) fee. This fee covers the
costs associated with system operation and maintenance such as odor reduction,
piping (infrastructure) repair, pumping station operating costs and maintenance, and grinder pump
maintenance and repair. The current quarterly O&M fee, as of January 2022, is $249.00.
Remodeling or Landscaping? If you are doing
significant remodeling of your home, are planning to re-grade your property or
driveway, or will be digging, please call MISS DIG to avoid hitting and damaging
sewer or other utility lines. The following documents may also be of
interest:
Suspend
Service
Site Inspection
References:
Tyrone Township Sewer Use Ordinance
O&M Fee Calculation
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