Financial Information – Dept Local Govt Finance (DLGF) Reporting Unit: “Brown County Regional Sewer District”

Website – Brown County RSD.

Current Events

Jun 15, 2021.  COUNTY NEWS: Sewer boards pledge cooperation; COVID level rises; spending plans

• The Brown County Regional Sewer District and Helmsburg Regional Sewer District boards have passed resolutions promising to work together to “combine some of their resources and manpower in an effort to secure funds” for wastewater projects.
• Studabaker also didn’t give specific answers to questions from two members of the public attending the virtual meeting about whether or not a sewer plant is still planned to be built on land that had been proposed for it along State Road 135 North in Bean Blossom, or if another plan would be executed.

  “All options are on the table,” Studabaker repeated.

Mar 23, 2021.  COUNTY NEWS: Sewer district website; 

• After more than two years of attempts and progress, the Brown County Regional Sewer District has an online presence.  The board has been trying to get the site up and running since the summer of 2018, (Ref: March 23, 2021,  BCD, County News: Sewer District Website.)

Mar 23, 2021. All options on table: Regional sewer plan being discussed By Suzannah Couch

• Discussions – Helmsburg RSD, BCRSD, Lake Lemon Env Coop

Dissolution of the BCRSD – For and Against

• Oct 20, 2020. Letter: Vote Republican if you want clean land and water by Robyn Rosenberg
• Oct 13, 2020.  BCD, Letter: Sewer district is ‘a solution in search of a problem’ by Kevin Fleming
• Sep 29, 2020. BCD.  Letter: In response to call to ‘dissolve’ sewer district board by BCRSD Board Members. To the editor: Your Aug. 5 edition published a letter to the editor titled “Local Democrat Party candidates adopt platform” …
• Aug 5, 2020. Letter: Local Democratic Party candidates adopt platform – calls for dissolution of the BCRSD:   “We believe there is no useful purpose served by the existence of the Brown County Regional Sewer District, and it should be dissolved. No proof supported by observation of empirical evidence shows good cause to force county homes and businesses off of septic systems already installed. The Hometown Engineering report determined that no new sanitary sewer system is economically feasible without wide-scale hookup.”

BCRSD Board meets the second Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m.  Notes from the meetings available at the Facebook Group – Brown County Matters.

Sep 15, 2020. BCD. Lake Lemon homeowners seek help from sewer district By Suzannah Couch

• Herndon said that the need for sewer in the Lake Lemon area may be greater than the need in Bean Blossom because when the water rises in the lake, effluent from septic systems goes into it. … “We want to figure out a way where we’re not waiting another five years to try to get sewers,” he said.
• Resident Tim Clark also attended the virtual meeting on Sept. 8. He asked the regional sewer board if they had a percentage of people who supported bringing a sewer system to the Bean Blossom area, like members had suggested to the Lake Lemon cooperative. … “The letters of interest for the Bean Blossom project were from 1998. Has there been any effort to update those to see what current residents think?” he asked. … Project engineer Gary Ladd said the letters had not been updated.

Aug 11, 2020 –  BCRSD Guidance on Finance Controls

• Resolution 2020-01 Internal Control Standards
• Resolution 2020-02 Materiality Threshold

March 2020.  Brown County Wastewater Infrastructure Strategic Planning Study

• March 2019.  IN Advisory Commission March 2019 Indiana’s Unsewered Communities

History

In May of 2013, county health department employee and then-commissioner John Kennard alleged that there was “an environmental nightmare” in Bean Blossom.  His claim served as the premise to establish a county-wide regional sewer district, a proposed sewer project for Bean Blossom, and an aggressive septic maintenance program that would need to be supported with an ordinance.

• Brown County Democrat May 1, 2013.  “Brown County Commissioner John Kennard called Bean Blossom an “environmental nightmare” due to many failed septic systems in the town located north of Nashville. The comment came during discussion of forming a countywide sewer district. Kennard said the purpose of the district would be to increase the chances of Bean Blossom acquiring a grant to pay for installation of a sewer system for the town. Commissioners voted 3-0 to pursue formation of the district, which could include a septic maintenance program.”

A new ordinance was passed by the commissioners in 2013, successfully challenged in court, and rescinded in 2015.  Mr. Kennard, in addition to the proposed new 2020 ordinance, led efforts to develop a new ordinance in 2017 and 2018. These versions were considered by the Health Board, opposed by citizens, and disapproved by the commissioners. Clint Studabaker, vice president of the Brown County Regional Sewer District Board, has also been a significant contributor to the proposed 2020 ordinance.

• Brown County Matters – Facebook Post – Feb 19, 2020, Commissioner Meeting-Proposed Ordinance

• Proposed New Septic Ordinance and Past Efforts – For the Record

Since May 1, 2013, there has been no documented evidence that supports the claim of an “environmental nightmare” in Bean Blossom. The January 28, 2020 article in the Democrat – “Stream Sampling: Where’s the contamination coming from?” does not support the allegation of contamination caused by failed septic systems. To quote: “Is E. coli found in local waterways coming from humans or from animals? Short answer: We don’t know yet.”

2017/2018. Further, the past two Brown County RSD Board presidents – Evan Werling and Judy Swift- Powdrill acknowledged that there was no documented evidence of failed septic systems that would validate a need for a new sewer plant in Bean Blossom.

BCRSD Board. At their Feb 11, 2020 board meeting, Brown County Regional Sewer District (BCRSD) board members acknowledged that they did not know of any evidence of failed septic systems in their district.  Current board President Mike Leggins stated that Brownies Restaurant in Bean Blossom closed as a result of a failed system. Septic systems designed for commercial use are approved and inspected by the State.

Commissioners.  At their meeting on Feb 19, 2020, Brown County Commissioners (Diana Biddle and Jerry Pittman) also acknowledged that there is no documented evidence of failed septic systems in the county.

Cordry and Sweetwater Conservancy.  The conservancy has a septic system management plan and no issues with water quality.

More Information:

• Regional Sewer Board – Bean Blossom Sewer Project – For the Record – Includes the detail from June 2018  (Project Launch) to Present.

• Update – Bean Blossom Sewer Project