Sewer work in Dayton opens door for growth

DAYTON - Later this year, the Dayton Valley should have Lyon County's largest wastewater treatment system able to handle an estimated 2,000 more new homes.

Three separate sewer treatment projects - all privately funded - will open the door for more development in the Dayton area. As is, building permits already issued will bring the valley's two existing treatment facilities to capacity flows once all the permitted homes are built, said John Evasovic, Lyon County's community development director.

Expansions will come to the treatment facilities serving the Dayton area north and south of the Carson River. Plus, sewer service will make its first appearance in Mark Twain at the east end of Dayton Valley.

All new homes built in Mark Twain must tie in to the new sewer system, and ultimately the 300 existing homes may have to convert from septic systems to sewer.

Carson City developer Dwight Millard will build the first phase of a regional sewer treatment facility in Mark Twain to allow him to build the first 52 homes in his 225-home Canyon Estates development. Millard has built 293 homes in the neighboring Daytona Heights development.

Millard's initial effort will provide a small treatment facility able to treat about 60,000 gallons of wastewater per day to handle the homes he and the adjacent Rolling A Ranch development will build in coming months. Rolling A deeded the 12-acre site for the treatment plant, and Millard is building the plant that will be donated to Lyon County Utilities.

Millard intends to start construction on the sewer treatment plant in mid-March and have it operational by June 1. The sewer line from Canyon Estates to Highway 50 is already built, and it was extended under the highway last week.

Ultimately, as this regional facility is built out, it will be able to handle 1.5 million gallons of sewage per day - enough to serve 2,500 to 3,000 new homes.

The Mark Twain facility will be expanded as needed, possibly taking up to 20 years before reaching its ultimate size. Expansions will come as construction warrants, Lyon County Engineer Dan O'Brien said.

"Dayton is a long way ahead if we put in the sewer now," O'Brien said. "It's cheaper to do now with the cooperation of developers."

Developers John Serpa and Julius Bunkowski will build a larger treatment facility to serve the Sutro and Rose Peak areas on the north. About the same time, the Wade Development Corp. will expand the southern facilities serving the Dayton Valley Business Park and housing around the Dayton Valley Country Club.

The Wade project will add treatment plants capable of handling 200,000 gallons of wastewater a day. Combined with the existing 280,000-gallon plant, the south Dayton area will have wastewater capacity of 480,000 gallons a day, said Mark Rotter, project manager at Capital Engineering for construction at both the northern and southern plants.

The estimated $1 million addition would be able to handle about 1,000 single-family units. Patty and Joe Wade are about to start landscaping and building waterfalls and ponds that will ornament the first phase of 600 homes at The Lakes at Dayton Valley Country Club.

The rest of the wastewater capacity would go to some of the second phase of 500 homes and some industrial sites, depending on manufacturers signing agreements in coming months, Patty Wade said.

"(The wastewater treatment expansion) will be for whatever comes first," Wade said.

She added that more sewer expansion will be added as needed to keep their development going nonstop.

The Serpa/Bunkowski project will replace a 190,000-gallon treatment plant with a $1.5 million plant able to treat 350,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The increased capacity could handle about 800 more homes, Rotter said.

The new northern plant would serve Landmark Homes houses built on Serpa land, manufactured homes at Rose Peak Estates, and multiple-family housing built by Bunkowski.

"Keep in mind, both these plants (Wade and Serpa/Bunkowski) are expandable," said Rotter, adding that both plants should take about three to four months to build.

Construction on the Wade project should start in March or April with the Serpa/Bunkowski project following in May or June.

With all three projects, the developers pay for construction and will then dedicate the facilities to Dayton Utilities. In exchange, the developers will not have to pay hook-up fees, as is the case in Carson City.

"I don't think there were any surprises for the development community," Millard said.

Millard's project was approved in 1995 with the condition that he would have to provide sewer service and a treatment plant. Until now, Millard had installed 500 individual sewage disposal systems - septic tanks.

"We were told to do sewers," Millard said. "I'm not sure the septic tanks are a problem."

But state wastewater requirements call for sewers in all new developments.

Future phases of the plant Millard is starting will also serve developments in the Rolling A Ranch, which has a tentative map calling for 160 homes. Rolling A donated the land for the treatment plant.