TWIN LAKES EAGER FOR SERVICES

Larry Haertling is just about finished building a house in the Twin Lakes subdivision. But Haertling doesn't know whether he should put in a septic tank or hook up to the subdivision wells.

Three years ago, when Twin Lakes residents voted to be annexed by the city of Cape Girardeau, they expected to have city water and sewer services. City police patrol their streets, city crews repair them, and should their be a fire or a medical emergency the city fire department shows up.

But the city has yet to move any dirt or even sign construction contracts for sewer and water service. Haertling said he is afraid that if he puts in a septic tank, he will only need it for a few months. He could delay moving in until the city hooks up sewers but he doesn't know how long he will have to wait.

City Engineer Mark Lester said he doesn't know either. "It's been longer than we expected," Lester said. "The biggest reason is getting some easements."

Some residents wanted the city to pay for them, while others wanted the city to change the design so the pipes would go in a different place, Lester said.

Haertling and his father developed the subdivision in an unincorporated area in the 1970s. They supplied most of the homes with water from two wells and put septic tanks in every yard.

A few of the newer homes have their own wells.

Janice Boeller, treasurer of the subdivision, said that since she moved in 26 years ago the state has tightened regulations governing utilities supplying water to more than 15 households. The utility has to perform more tests and the person performing those tests has to be licensed, she said.

The subdivision water is hard but nearly everyone uses water softeners, Boeller said. "I don't think anyone is as anxious for the sewers as for the water," she said.

Glenn Hamilton often jogs through Twin Lakes in the evenings. He said he sometimes smells sewage in some of the yards. Haertling said that when the laterals reaching out from the septic tanks get clogged, sewage that is supposed to go into the ground comes up to the surface and can drain into the subdivision's lakes.

Hamilton said the drinking water is adequate but he worries about what would happen if there was a major fire because the system lacks the pressure to support fire hydrants.

Twin Lakes has no fire hydrants, but the city plans to install them when it hooks the subdivision up to the city water system.

Lester said the city hopes to have the two projects up for bid this fall. Whether the contractor starts digging this year depends on whether residents want their yards dug up in the winter.

But he won't make any promises because he doesn't know when the state will approve the project.

Lester said a deal with DSW Development Corporation could help the city finish the sewer project sooner for less money.

The city originally planned to build a lift station to pump sewage from Twin Lakes along Route K toward the sewage treatment plant. DSW offered to build a gravity sewer main that would meet a larger sewer main near the intersection of the new Route 74 and Interstate 55.

That way the sewer main would better serve the new Notre Dame High School as well as hook up with Twin Lakes, Lester said.

Not every Twin Lakes resident wants the city hook-ups. Susan Phillips said she voted against annexation. She said her well water tastes better than city water while her septic tank works fine.

But Haertling warns that just a few malfunctioning septic tanks can create a health problem for everyone.