Most folks might not know or care how their sewage is navigated.

But members of the Radiant Lake Homeowners Association in Rathdrum are painfully aware.

Having to foot the bill will do that.

"We have a pretty good size bill now," said Arnold Kayl, association board director.

In fact, the group has racked up $100,000 in bills the past several years maintaining a lift station for their subdivision and other area homes, Kayl said.

None of it should have been their responsibility, he said.

The group believes both the bills and maintenance for the station should be covered by the city of Rathdrum.

"It's kind of frustrating," Kayl said. "We haven't committed to any payment, because we're trying to get this resolved with the city."

City staff says Rathdrum isn't looking to settle another entity's debt.

"The city is willing to take over the lift station, however we're not willing to take on the obligations that are not the city's," said city Administrator Brett Boyer. "From our end, that's the gist."

The lift station at Radiant Lake subdivision, comprised of about 30 homes, was a requirement the developer had to fulfill for a go-ahead from the city, said Nancy Gagner, association board member.

The station was deeded over the homeowners' association around 2005, she added, along with other common areas.

Was it assumed that the city would take over the station?

Technically, no.

"In the beginning, the understanding was that the city was trying to get funding for their entire sewer system," Gagner said.

That included plans for a new lift station on Greensferry Road that would replace the Radiant Lake facility.

"It was understood that it (the Radiant Lake station) was a temporary station," Gagner said.

But the temporary status of the Radiant Lake station turned out to be a relative term.

As the economy floundered, the replacement station was delayed. The city is only just pursuing it now, having just applied for a grant that might allow the city to build next year, Boyer said.

In the meantime, the Radiant Lake lift station has needed maintenance.

Like fixing the alarm system, Kayl said, and emptying grease traps and servicing the emergency generator.

The homeowners association hired a contractor to do all this.

Meanwhile, over the years more homes cropped up in the area that use the station, Kayl said, including the new Skyline subdivision with about 80 homes.

And the bills mounted.

Now the group is looking at between $100,000 and $120,000 in accumulated maintenance fees, Kayl said. Association members insist the city should cover the cost.

"We just don't have that kind of money," Kayl said, adding that dues are $68 a month and there is no savings stashed away. "They keep piling up late fees and service charges that makes the thing keep going up."

Last year, the city of Rathdrum volunteered to take over the lift station, Boyer said.

But the homeowners association stipulated that the city cover the bills, too.

City staff refused, Boyer said, and the lift station remained in Radiant Lake's control.

The city shouldn't pay for something it doesn't own yet, Boyer explained.

"From 2004 to now, it's still theirs, so I'm not sure why the city would take that on," he said.

The homeowners have recently hired an attorney to discuss the issue with the city, Kayl said.

The group will sue if it has to, he added.

The situation needs to be resolved soon, said Gagner, as the soon to be constructed KTEC (Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC) will have to rely on the Radiant Lake station, too.

"I think the KTEC center could be a great addition," said Gagner, also on Rathdrum's Planning and Zoning Commission. "Our lift station, being temporary, it might not have the capacity to serve that kind of development."

Attorney Muriel Burke-Love, representing the homeowner group, said the city was accepting ownership of the station when it approved other users.

"They allowed the development right next to Radiant Lake to add on," Burke-Love said. "They pretty much controlled the sewer lift station by allowing lots of users to utilize it. When they annexed in KTEC, they were planning on using that particular lift station for the development. You can't do that, unless you own it."

She is in ongoing negotiations with the Rathdrum city attorney, she added.

A lift station is a point in a sewer system where wastewater is pumped toward a treatment plant.

Boyer said the city does collect water and sewer fees from residents who rely on the Radiant Lake lift station, but those fees only go toward city-owned operations.

Gagner believes the problem can be resolved.

"It's certainly not impossible. It's just a kink," she said. "I think this has to be addressed."