Bethel's deadline to fix a sewage leak passed two weeks ago

Untreated sewage has been running onto the ground at a house on Akiak Drive in Bethel. The city gave the owner until Aug. 25 to stop it. Two weeks past that date, the city has not said publicly whether the repair was made.

The council voted 6-0 on Aug. 21 to declare the property a public nuisance and a health hazard. The order gave the owner three days to produce a cleanup plan, four to repair whatever is discharging, and required notice to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The city had been working the problem for most of a month by then. It issued a nuisance notice July 31, cited the owner Aug. 11, and shut off the water on Aug. 12 when the violation continued. Someone reconnected it without authorization the next day.

The owner attended the August meeting and presented evidence. Mayor Rose Henderson was excused for a conflict of interest.

If the hazard is still there, the city can do the work itself and put a lien on the property, which it can foreclose. The owner can ask for a rehearing before the completion date and can appeal to Alaska Superior Court.