Apr 27, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 3 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Donegal Township supervisors held a public hearing Thursday regarding the possible formation of a water and sewer authority.

Donegal Township supervisors on Thursday held a public hearing to seek public input regarding the possible formation of a water and sewer authority.

“Township municipal authorities are extremely common in Pennsylvania, with several thousand in existence, and water and sewer management is one of the more common purposes for establishing municipal authorities,” said Supervisor Ed Shingle.

Shingle said the township engineer recommended supervisors explore forming the authority.

Shingle said the function of the proposed authority “will be worked out in detail, but essentially the water and sewage management currently being performed directly by the township will instead be handled by the authority.”

About 330 of the township’s homes have water and sewage.

About 40 residents, including a majority from West Alexander, where access to sewage and water is most available, attended the meeting.

Nearly a dozen people, including some who are members of a recently formed West Alexander Borough Project Water Committee – West Alexander is working to become a separate borough, after joining the township in 2009 – voiced concerns about the proposed water authority and suggested the township delay the plan.

Among their concerns is the condition of the current water system, which is 44 years old and in need of upgrades and repairs; ongoing negotiations for a new water contract with the city of Wheeling, W.Va.; an outstanding loan for sewage; and significant water loss.

The water committee has asked to meet with supervisors to further discuss a solution for “a stable, sustainable system.”

According to the West Alexander Water Committee, the township has lost more than a million gallons of water each month since Jan. 1, including 1.2 million gallons in February, or 44% of its water. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 16% of water loss is average.

The water loss has been an ongoing problem. Leak detection was installed around 2020, but the source of the water loss is not known.

As for next steps, the supervisors plan to look more into the authority creation, which will serve as its own entity.

“Most townships have far more things to do than run water and sewage,” said Supervisor Jim Bauer.

Donegal Township does not have its own water source and purchases water from Wheeling, and the township pays an out-of-state tariff. Negotiations for a new contact with Wheeling have been going on since around 2020.