A Jim Thorpe property owner is requesting a borough zoning amendment that would allow him to install an on-lot septic system for his land near Mauch Chunk Lake.

An attorney for Edward Kanick said the closest connection point to public sewer for his Lentz Trail property is about a mile away.

Jim Thorpe currently requires all properties within a half-mile of the lake to connect to public sewer.

“That would cost Mr. Kanick around $500,000,” Graham Simmons, his attorney, said.

According to Council President Greg Strubinger, the borough is considering an ordinance amendment that would allow on-lot septic systems for properties 5 acres or larger that are at least 1,000 feet, but less than a half-mile, from Mauch Chunk Lake.

“We have talked about putting some safeguards in place, such as having the system inspected annually and pumped at least once every three years,” Strubinger said.

“We could never find in any documentation as to why that half-mile distance was put in place,” Strubinger said. “It was most likely done as a protection method for the watershed, but on-lot septic systems were in their infancy back in the 1970s, when the report that led to that decision came out.”

Jim Thorpe Planning Commission Chairman Louis Hall, however, said pollution was being put into streams and other watercourses, leading to a half-mile buffer zone from the lake as more and more developments were popping up locally.

“Given what you’ve seen with Memorial Hall, I think you need to view the lake as just as big an asset for the borough. This could affect current and future residents.”

Hall said he would provide council additional historical information on the history of the half-mile buffer zone, giving some members pause when voting on authorization for the borough solicitor to draft a zoning amendment.

“I don’t think we should make any decisions until we see everything,” Councilwoman Jessica Crowley said. “The health of our waterways is far more important than development.”

Crowley, along with Michael Rivkin and Robert Schaninger, voted against the solicitor drafting an amendment, while Strubinger, Michael Yeastedt and Joanne Klitsch voted in favor. Mayor Michael Sofranko broke the tie, voting yes.

“Even if the solicitor drafts an amendment, it still has to come back before council, the borough planning commission and the county planning commission before moving forward,” Sofranko. “I don’t see a problem with looking into it. I would see a problem if we were changing it tonight.”