STAR CITY — More than 30 of the town’s 170 residents turned out for a pubic hearing conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management here Monday evening.

Although the official purpose of the meeting was to record public comments regarding formation of a regional sewer district in Star City, no one participated in the actual public hearing. Instead, many posed questions regarding the proposed district before the hearing.

Lynne Newlon of IDEM’s Office of Water Quality, and Jim Gould, chairman of the Star City Infrastructure Advisory Committee, fielded residents’ questions.

Wilbur Martindale mentioned that he had problems draining runoff water from his property, but that he hadn’t had sewer problems. He questioned whether the new sewer system would help alleviate his drainage issues.

Gould emphasized that the committee was focusing strictly on sewage problems, not drainage issues, and advised Martindale to seek help from the county’s drainage board. Martindale said he was in the process of doing that.

Regarding Martindale’s concerns, Rick Schultz described how he had just discovered two to three inches of slime coating the inside of a ten-inch tile.

“This sewage is going everywhere,” Schultz stated, adding that he believes once the sewer system is in place and the sewage is flowing properly, drainage tiles will operate more efficiently.

Gould also said, “We cannot put storm water in the sewage system, or we’ll be paying to treat storm water.”

Several questions were raised concerning residents who have newly installed septic tanks and what effect the new sewer system would have on them.

Newlon said someone who had installed a new septic system within the last five years could petition the sewer board for a waiver, declining to be hooked up to the public system. That sewer board has yet to be appointed, but Dan Dolezal, executive director of Pulaski County’s Community Development Commission, has said those seats should be filled this summer.

The sewer board might waive the resident’s hook-up, Newlon said, or it might go ahead and force the resident to tie in to the public system.

Terri Hansen, director of Pulaski County’s Department of Public Health, voiced concerns about the existing septic systems in Star City, even the new ones.

“Most of the septic systems — about 90 percent of them — don’t meet the state code,” Hansen remarked.

She cited small lot sizes, soil quality and drainage problems as reasons for these failures, emphasizing her support for the new public system.

Pat Heisner said she became aware of the sewage problems in Star City shortly after she moved there.

“I’m for a sewer system,” Heisner stated. She went on to say that she had her tap water tested after moving in because she wondered, “What’s that floating on top?”

Heisner was also asked to become part of the committee that Gould chairs. He invited anyone interested in the project to come to the meetings, which are held at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at the Community Center.

Now that the public hearing has been held, Newlon will compile a report and recommendation to be sent to IDEM’s legal department, which will review it and then forward it on to IDEM’s commissioner, who will make the final decision regarding formation of the regional sewer district. Newlon anticipates the decision to be made within eight to 12 weeks.

Once the district is incorporated, it can begin to seek funding — in the form of grants and low-interest loans — for the project.