The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-27
ALL CITIZENS MAY USE SEWER SYSTEM City Engineer Kendrick Explains Existing Conditions LETTER OF INQUIRY SENT Many Tax Payers Inside and Outside the Incorporated Cities Are h.
 terested In the
 Matter.
LETTER OF INQUIRY SENT

Many people In Jefferson county and especially those in some of the smaller incorporated towns, are much interested in certain questions relative to the com pletion and use of the sanitary sewer syS- tenn. recently completed by the county at cost of about $50O,0oo.
 w. W. Sanders, an attorney, has ad- dressed the following letter to The Age Herald asking for information on the subject:
 AS a citizen and taxpayer of the city and county, and in behalf of a great many other citizens, I would ask you to publish something of the details of the scheme of the trunk sewer nearing com petion, and of the manner in which prop erty owners in the suburbs of Woodlawn, East Lake and the other outlying towns. can take advantage of the benefits of drainage into the trunk sewer? Is 1t known when the scheme will be so conn pleted that those desirous of doing so may obtain it's benefits? Will the expense be apportioned among the individuals who utilize the privilege, or will it be born by the municipalities and the people taxed generally to maintain It?
 -"This Is a matter of far-reaching i'm portance to the people of Jefferson coun- ty, yet 1t is surprising that so few of the people know aught of the details Of it's final working out"
 Conditions Explain
 City Engineer Kendrick. who is also en- gineer of the Jefferson county sanitary commission, which has the construction and operation of the sewer in charge, yes- terday explained the conditions in regard to the use of the sewer. He said
 'The sanitary sewer system was built by the county and is maintained by the county. Every municipality in the county has the privilege of using the sewer sys-- tenn, and the sanitary commission builds branches from the main lines to the cor porate limits of each city.
 "The cities have to construct their own individual sewer systems, that is the sys- tems within the corporate limits. The commission cannot under the law build the sewer inside the. corporate limits of a city except in order to reach another city on the far side of the one through which the sewer Is laid.
 ''Each city has to maintain it's own sewer system, but the commission main tains the county sewers. Every individual property owner or resident who is not inside the limits of some city has the privilege of connecting with the sanitary sewer system on either the mainline or some branch. They have to make their own connections There are no charges for the use of the county sewers, as they are maintained by taxation but the va rious municipalities maintain the sewer system inside their corporate limits.
 Cities Now Connected.
 Birmingham, Ensley and West End have aready connected with the county system, and is using 1t all the time. An additional branch is being built to the city limits of Birmingham.
 ''The county has already surveyed branch sewer to the corporate limits of Woodlawn and Avondale, and these cities can connect whenever their municipal sewer system is ready. We are also al- ready at the city limits of East Lake. and we run through North Birmingham and Pratt City.
 T do rot know what the plans of the various municipalities are, but l suppose that each of them will issue bonds to cover the expenses of building their sewer, systems"
 As is well known, the sewer system ex- tends from one end of the county to the ether There are two main trunk lines, one the Village creek and the other the Valley creek. The former runs from East Lake. through East Birmingham, North Birmingham, Pratt City and by Ensley. and the other runs from Birmingham by Smithheio West End Owenton, Compton, Brighton and Bessemer.
 The work required several years. It was completed recently and delivered by the contractors to the sanitary commission