Who is responsible for E. Butler Sewer?

To the editor:

Responsibility of EBCSD (East Butler County Sewer District)

August 2011 EBCSD began digging in my back yard to bury sewer line for the new system. I informed them there was a shallow buried electric line that serves our garage/workshop and showed them the location. Of course, they cut it. A few days later I discovered there was no electric to the shop when I went to get some meat from a freezer that is house in the shop.

Went to the EBCSD office and informed Don Jones (title unknown) he seems to be the one in charge. He and some men came and fixed the break and told me that the initial repair was not sufficient and there had been another cut that they also repaired.

Now here it is March 2012 and no electric again. Again I went to EBCSD, spoke with Mr. Jones (on phone) he told me they were not repairing it again, that it was not their responsibility that they had not cut the line in the first place. Whose responsibility is it? The line had been there for 12 to 15 years or more and we never had a loss of electricity. No one else has dug in the back yard except them.

There is now and has been since August 2011 a six inch or so wide trench across the back yard, depth unknown but how deep is the sewer line laid? If a child or anyone would cross that trench (which is now filled with leaves and debris), making it somewhat difficult to see, would trip and fall and break a leg etc etc., whose responsibility is that? In fact I fell, reported that to EBCSD, they came and placed a scrap plywood in one spot across the trench.

After the last report to Mr. Jones, I told him they had a problem, he told me I was the one with the problem because I was the one without electricity. Whose responsibility?

Regarding the shallow laid electric line, I have been told that the county does not have a code enforcement and that it could even be laid on top the ground. I have also been told that once a line is cut that it will draw ground moisture (at the repair site) and that new section of line is necessary to correct the problem. Whose responsibility is that?

Virginia Moore,

Poplar Bluff, Mo