I am very concerned about the lack of appropriate standards regarding the installation of the sewer system in Spanish Fort. It is my understanding that when a safe distance does not exist between sewer and water lines, residents are in danger of sewage leaks that could enter the water system.

Currently, Spanish Fort has no regulations whatsoever regarding the requirement of a safe separation between water and sewer lines, size of pipe, backfilling, testing or inspection. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management requires a 10-foot separation or encasement of pipe. Fairhope requires a 10-foot horizontal separation between pipes; Daphne, 5 feet; and Auburn, 10 feet. I simply cannot understand why Mayor Joe Bonner and some City Council members are opposed to creating standards such as these that have been adopted by other cities in Baldwin County, other counties in Alabama and most municipalities across the country.

Mayor Bonner appears to have unbridled faith in Baldwin County Sewer Service, a company that has been cited for unsafe conditions in both Foley and Fairhope. With this company’s history, Spanish Fort should go to exceptional lengths to assure that construction and installation are executed beyond reproach.

The well-being of Spanish Fort residents should not take a back seat to the Baldwin County Sewer Service company. This ordeal at best smacks of small-town government naiveté and at worst, back-room cronyism.