Sewage capacity constrains Parksley redevelopment; council to seek engineer

Parksley officials told the town council on Dec. 9 that the municipal sewage system is at or near its design capacity, a condition town leaders say is impeding potential downtown redevelopment and hookups for prospective businesses.

Public Works Director Danny Siegert said an inspection of the town's water tower is complete and that the sewage system was engineered for 14,000 gallons per day but that "our flow is sometimes higher." Councilman Frank Russell said the capacity constraint is preventing new development, including a prospective hotel buyer and a previously discussed Mexican restaurant. Clerk Letitia Greer said she had informed an inquirer that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) was not allowing additional hookups and that the council had approved pump-and-haul as an alternative for some properties.

Council members discussed pump-and-haul cost estimates: a resident identified it as costing about $250–$500 per month, with the pump-and-haul system itself costing approximately $5,000. Councilman Russell urged that hiring an engineer to consult with the health department should be "job one" to resolve capacity constraints and enable downtown revitalization; Mayor Marshall asked Public Works Director Siegert to contact the health department for an engineering recommendation.

The council agreed to circulate candidate engineers by email and text for timely review and to authorize selection between meetings if all members respond, so long as the council retains final approval. Council members emphasized the importance of finding funding to pay for the engineering work; no specific engineering contract was approved at the Dec. 9 meeting.

Next steps recorded in the minutes include Public Works Director Siegert contacting the health department and the council checking email for engineer recommendations so the town can pursue formal proposals and clarify what hookups the health department will allow.