Burr Oak continues to have problems with its new sewer system

Four small 25 gallons-a-minute pumps installed to pump sewage up to a drainage field are inadequate to handle to outflow from two 95 gallons-a-minute pumps within Burr Oak itself.

On Monday, supervisors learned that two of those four pumps are now not in service and need repairs. Engineering consultant John Hjelle from Erdman Engineering told supervisors he has talked with staffers at Bruening Rock Products about using one of their quarry pumps to hook up to the Burr Oak system for testing. The quarry pump would push up to 70 gallons a minute into the sewage field. Hjelle told supervisors the situation "is a diagnostic thing," because he doesn't want to recommend buying new, expensive, bigger pumps until he knows what is causing the problems.

Hjelle also spoke to supervisors about possibly doing smoke testing on the pipe system to look for illegal connections to the sewer system or other reasons the system sometimes receives three to five times the normal volume of water.

County supervisors say they will continue to work with Hjelle and Burr Oak officials on the problem.