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Bonner Springs — Bonner Springs will no longer maintain or replace the sewage grinder pumps owned by local businesses. That's the upshot of a policy approved by the City Council at its Monday meeting, which officially ends the city's policy of maintaining and replacing sewage grinder pumps for commercial locations. Grinder pumps for residential homes will continue to be maintained by the city.

Grinder pumps are required to process and pump wastewater when the main sanitary sewer line is at or above the grade of the property from which the wastewater is discharged, or when discharging into a force main.

There are 22 grinder pumps in commercial locations that the city maintains, and the action should save Bonner Springs a few thousand dollars each year.

The new policy will take effect March 1.

The Council discussed the matter and heard a presentation on the need for the policy from Rick Sailler, director of utilities, at a study session before the regular meeting.

Agreements to maintain businesses' grinder pumps came about as a result of the city trying to lure businesses to come here, Mayor Clausie Smith said.

One such deal, made with a business and property owner at Bonner Industrial park during the initial development there, stated the city would maintain the grinder pump station until the interim, low-pressure sewer system was replaced with a permanent sanitary sewer system. With a permanent system now in place, the business is discharging its sewage to Johnson County Wastewater at a cost to the city, according to a report by Sailler.

Other local municipalities have different arrangements for the maintenance of residential and commercial grinder pumps, with Kansas City, Kan., charging a fee to residents but not businesses for upkeep of pumps, while Johnson County Wastewater charges fees for both types but more for commercial pumps.

Council members seemed in agreement at Bob Stephens' statement during the discussion that "businesses should pay their own way."

No maintenance agreement for commercial pumps has been signed by the city, Sailler's report said.

While the city will save money with the new policy, perhaps the most important reason to change it is the potential for much greater costs, as Sailler's report noted the city could risk liability for business revenue and incomes should a pump fail and thus preclude a business' normal operation.

Under the current situation the city had maintained some commercial grinder pumps installations, while others, notably seven at Theodore Naish Scout Reservation, were paid for and have been maintained by the camp. The new policy would rectify that inconsistency, Sailler's report said.

Other pumps have cost the city more than others, with two at Cottonwoods RV Park and Campground, 115 S. 130th St., running up more than $3,400 worth of repairs and replacements in two years, Sailler said.

The average cost to repair the commercial-grade pumps has been $1,500, Sailler's report said, compared to the average cost of $450 to repair the smaller, residential pumps.

Part of the reason for the greater cost is the price of the pumps themselves, plus the nature of the waste discharged through commercial-size pumps: compared to residential pumps they typically handle more volume, including more solids, plus more grease and other foreign materials, Sailler's report said, which can cause greater wear and tear on parts.

The policy also states that the city wastewater department will perform periodic inspections of commercial grinder pump stations to insure compliance with state and federal law, and the property owners of such stations must have them inspected to verify the proper operation. Owners of large lift stations, defined as those with a capacity of 250 or more gallons, will be required to have the wet well cleaned by a licensed septic pumping contractor.

One benefit of the new policy, said Council member Lloyd Mesmer, business owners "might have an incentive now to be more careful what they put down the drain."

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