County proposal to route sewer to Hinkie development prompts capacity and cost questions in Clayton

The Town of Clayton chair reported that County Commissioner Bob Gentry told him the county is moving toward creating a fire district for the area and suggested Clayton extend sewer service roughly five miles to connect the Hinkie development and make that development a customer of the town’s wastewater plant.

Council members reacted with caution. The Chair cited a prior similar five-mile force-main project that cost about $2.1 million and warned that extending sewer mains that distance would be expensive. The town’s current wastewater treatment capacity would not support an influx of 1,500 additional homes without added treatment capacity. The Chair estimated the cost of adding another large wastewater tank at about $3 million and said there are newer treatment technologies—such as sequence batch reactors—that could increase capacity but require engineering study.

Members also raised legal and permitting questions, including whether the town could run sewer lines across existing municipal mains and whether approvals would be required from neighboring jurisdictions. Several speakers said the town should consult legal counsel and engineering firms before taking any position.

Why it matters: routing sewer to a major development would carry substantial capital cost and long-term operational implications for the town’s wastewater system, and could require county cost-sharing or alternative treatment technologies.

Next steps: staff were asked to investigate technical and legal feasibility, consult engineers and counsel, and continue dialogue with county officials before making any commitment.