Albert Lea and Manchester will soon share more than Highway 13. They’ll also share a sewer.

With Manchester’s privately owned septic tanks beginning to age, construction will begin soon on a project that will tie in Manchester’s sewer waste to Albert Lea’s sewers.

The current waste systems are owned by each property owner, and some have been in use for 30 years. Some Manchester buildings currently are a straight-pipe system that feeds into the field tiles, and the systems are out of compliance and outdated, said City Councilman Steven Hannegrefs.

“The systems are failing, and for each individual to put in a new system, it’d be a significant burden to them,” Hannegrefs said.

The project for a city sewer system dates back to 2000, but progress was delayed when the project’s first engineering firm closed and then a second engineering firm closed its Minnesota office. After that, officials went with a local engineering firm Jones-Haugh Smith Inc. for the project.

Construction will finally begin soon, and the contractor will be announced in a few weeks, Hannegrefs said. The system should be in place by September of 2010, but some work could continue into 2011.

Manchester will own and operate the lift station that will use a six-inch pump to move the waste materials to Albert Lea. Manchester has maintenance agreements with the city of Albert Lea and private firm to maintain the system.

This move will only affect homes and businesses in the city, and Hannegrafs said the grant money could only be used in the city.

Some residents, however, are apprehensive because residents will now have to pay sewer bills.

“Anytime you do something like this, it’s a change. They’re curious of what it will cost and how it’s going to affect them,” Hannegrefs said.

Hannegrafs has told residents the change will increase the value of their homes, and he’s told residents they’d have to pay such bills if they moved to a town like Albert Lea.

When the systems work, Hannegrefs described them as “out of sight, out of mind,” but problems can arise.

The Jensales Inc. septic system quit a few years back, and Jensen said they’ve had to use a holding tank that is routinely pumped.

While the bills will be a change for some resident, Paul Jensen, owner of Jensales Inc., said it will be beneficial.

“For me as a business, I can’t wait,” Jensen said.

Jensen said it will be beneficial for the long-term stability of businesses and the community.

Hannegrefs also said this will be a good long-term addition to the community.

“I think the community as a whole is going to realize after it’s all done that it was the right thing to do,” Hannegrefs said.