DeKalb residents doubt county sewer claims

DeKalb County property owners and state lawmakers are asking why some sewer lines have been categorized as private property, making residents responsible for costly upgrades.

The group of about 18 Scottdale-area property owners at the state Capitol on Tuesday said they’re not being treated fairly by the county.

“We have all of this documentation, and they’re playing a shell game with us,” said Pam Saint, a Scottdale resident, during the hearing.

But the county’s director for the Department of Watershed Management, James Chansler, said government officials don’t arbitrarily decide whether homes sit on public or private sewer lines. He said official property documents indicate sewer line ownership.

“We’ve identified what was public and what was private,” he said. “I maintain that nobody can come in and change it.”

Chansler said DeKalb County has between 200 and 300 miles of private sewer lines. He expects to complete a review of private sewer lines by early October.