LAHARPE Representatives from LaHarpe, Gas and Allen County will continue meeting into the summer to draft a formal agreement on upkeep and usage of the sewer lagoons on the edge of LaHarpe.
The lagoons have been co-owned by LaHarpe and Gas since they were installed in 1998. However, the communities never drafted a formal agreement to spell out such things as who is responsible for mowing and maintaining the system.
Additionally, neither community has set aside any funding for the eventual dredging of the lagoons years down the road, LaHarpe Mayor Mae Crowell noted Wednesday.
Crowell spoke at a special LaHarpe City Council meeting, which included Gas City Superintendent Steve Robb, Allen County Public Works Director Mitch Garner and others.
The county should be involved in the talks, Crowell noted, because the county dumps excess runoff water from the Allen County Landfill into the lagoons.
That practice has caught the eye of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which said the lagoons will have to undergo extra, potentially costly, tests on a regular basis if the practice continues.
While KDHE has encouraged LaHarpe to forbid such dumping, Crowell noted the City Council has not yet made a decision.
If it continues, the cities should also draft a formal agreement with the county to set out the countys responsibility for either the costs of the additional testing or upkeep of the system.
Charlie Schwindamann with the Kansas Rural Water Association recently inspected the lagoon system, and told Council members Wednesday they shouldnt need dredged for several years.
KEEPING the grass surrounding the lagoons freshly mowed has been a sticking point.
Mowing is essential to the systems proper function, explained La-Harpe city employee Paul Beasley. Thats because air currents must not be obstructed as winds blow over the lagoon.
In the past, the city assumed the county was responsible.
Garner said the county has been receptive in helping keep the grass mowed when asked but busy schedules for county crews often means the county cannot respond promptly if and when such requests occur.
ROBB said the countys dumping should not necessarily be frowned upon, because adding water to the lagoons often is beneficial for the system.
Likewise, he noted the county, Gas and LaHarpe employees frequently assist each other on various projects. Maintaining the lagoons should be no different, as long as each player knows his responsibility.
