Lucea mayor renews call for central sewerage system

Western Bureau:

Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels believes that the Hanover capital is in urgent need of a central sewerage system to address the periodic flow of septic tanks there, resulting in a stench that blankets sections of the community.

Speaking recently with The Sunday Gleaner, Samuels said the smell often overpowers pedestrians and motorists who use the Willie DeLisser Boulevard in Lucea.

“The public-health personnel had visited the area in question ... since then, it has been reported to me that work has been done to prevent the water that was going into the drain from doing so, and they had drawn the sewage from the septic tank and fixed the whole area,” said Samuels.

“Lucea is really an old town, and we do not have the modern type of sewerage system like tile fields and others systems. It is really septic pits with soak-aways and septic tanks, and because of the situation wherein most of the town is below sea level, you will find that we will constantly have this problem until we can have a central sewerage system in place,” the mayor added.

Septic overflow

According to Samuels, additional reports of septic overflow have been reported in other parts of Lucea, and the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s Road and Works Department has been ordered to investigate those claims.

“If we find any of those reports to be factual, they will be taken to the health department for them to take similar action to what was done on Willie DeLisser Boulevard. We are slowly getting to that point where we have to have a central sewerage system in place for Lucea,” said Samuels.

The issue of sewage overflow along Willie DeLisser Boulevard was brought to the attention of the Hanover Municipal Corporation during its monthly meeting in December. At that time, it was reported that the overflow was caused by a business owner making adjustments to his drain-piping along the roadway.

The resulting stench from the overflow has also negatively impacted business for vendors in the affected area, in addition to creating a health hazard for those who traverse the roadway.