If the opposition is to be believed, the construction of new sewer lines in Langley will not happen, at least this time around.

During two nights of community meetings about a proposed $2.8 million city sewer system expansion, the opposition spoke the loudest and most often against a construction plan that will cost more than 120 residents an estimated $15,000 each.

Even so, city leaders, including the Langley City Council and Mayor Lloyd Furman, are still counting on a “silent majority” to let sewer service come to First Street, Third Street and the Saratoga and Edgecliff areas.

“Let” is the operative word, since property owners representing more than 60 percent of the total value of all the affected properties must actively oppose new sewers to stop them. The city council, which has thus far given unanimous verbal support for sewers, will need citizen support over the next few months as it tries to form a utility local improvement district (ULID) and capture millions of dollars in low-interest state loans to finance the expansion.

At Monday’s meeting at Langley City Hall and Tuesday’s meeting at Langley Methodist Church, property owners who live in these areas found out for the first time exactly what getting rid of their wastewater will cost. Using what the city has labeled a “conservative estimate,” city engineer Ryan Goodman said each sewer hookup will cost property owners $12,174, plus a $2,000 connection fee and between $1,500 and $6,000 in installation costs for lines to individual homes. Construction work would be complete in late 2003.

For some, these figures mean going from a septic system to sewer will cost under $20,000. But for others who have large tracts of land that could be subdivided, the charges will be higher — up to $148,000 for one Edgecliff property owner.

Opponents of the sewer extension tried to convince the council and members of the city’s sewer extension committee that the high cost of hooking up will be the death knell of this newest push to sewer unserved areas.

“And that would be the problem everywhere,” said Saratoga Road resident Sue Frause, who was at the meeting protesting the $45,000 in ULID fees she and her husband, Bob, would have to pay for their property.

Arguments against sewers during the two meetings came from a number of directions, although cost was cited most often. But there were some who said they were most concerned about how new sewers would affect development: It will increase housing density. Debbie Holbert, who lives in the Edgecliff area and who served on the sewer extension committee, said her early support of the sewer concept turned into opposition when she discovered how her neighborhood would change.

“This is a development issue,” she said.

Speaking for the city, councilman Ray Honerlah and city planner Jack Lynch had, nonetheless, plenty of reasons why new sewer lines are needed. While Lynch noted that the city has an obligation to promote dense development under the state’s Growth Management Act, Honerlah concentrated on the individual benefit of sewers. He said sooner or later, septic owners will have to replace their systems. Citing Island County Health Department figures, he said 69 of the 129 septic systems in the ULID have recorded “as-built” schematics in Coupeville. Of those, 30 have failed. There is no data on the remainder.

Honerlah said systems will continue to fail.

“It is very probable that many existing fields are substandard,” he said.

Going at those failures from an environmental standpoint, he said, septic systems are a pollution issue. Processing wastewater at the city’s sewage treatment plant — which is currently operating well below its maximum capacity — is better than putting sewage into the ground, he said.

Jim Lema, a financial analyst who did the special benefits analysis for the sewer extension, said he believes sewer service is preferable in terms of property value. He said homeowners cannot be sure if it will be the next toilet flush that kills their septic system.

“It’s my estimate that the benefit is there,” he said.

Making the city’s financial argument on Monday was sewer committee member Tom Marek. He said the state loan money the city expects to get for the sewer project is the cheapest available, with an interest rate ranging between .5 and 1.5 percent. If the city waits another 10 years to build more sewers, the costs may increase.

“I know it’s expensive,” he said. “It’s not going to get any cheaper.”

The week’s meetings were the last two public airings on sewers before the city begins to take action on the issue. In early May, the city council will vote on whether or not to form a ULID. If the vote is “yes” property owners will have 30 days to comment on the measure.