Aug 16, 2015 3 min read

Waynesburg Borough Council received some good news last week when it learned an extension had been granted by the state Department of Environmental Protection on the time it has to correct an issue involving overflows at the borough’s sewage treatment plant.

Borough engineer Bob Dengler told council that, at a recent meeting, DEP officials had extended the deadline for submitting a plan to correct the problem to February 2017.

A number of years ago, the borough agreed to reduce overflows at the plant and was supposed to submit its plan by December. While giving the borough additional time, DEP also indicated this would be the borough’s last chance to comply with regulations, and if it didn’t have a plan approved by February 2017, it could face penalties.

The borough’s problem, common to those with older sewage treatment systems, occurs when stormwater overwhelms its sewage treatment plant. It results in an overflow that is discharged directly into Ten Mile Creek. Stormwater can enter the borough’s sewage system because many of its sewer lines were constructed years ago, to handle not just sanitary sewer flow but also stormwater flow.

In addition, surface and groundwater has begun to infiltrate the borough’s system through cracked and damaged sewer lines, only worsening the problem.

The overflows were not an issue years ago when the system was built, but they became an issue due to more stringent environmental regulations. Developing a plan to meet the DEP requirement has been an issue discussed by council going back at least 10 years. Reports on progress toward reducing the overflows, however, would only occasionally be mentioned at council meetings. In addition, over the years, council members as well as borough managers have come and gone, breaking any continuity in council’s consideration of the issue.

We believe the borough is now taking the matter seriously and is on the right track.

Last fall, council hired a new engineering firm to plan a project to address the overflows. Since then, Dengler attended almost every council meeting to present an update to council on the project’s progress.

We should also note making improvements to the sewage treatment system could well be an expensive undertaking for the borough. The previous engineer presented a plan with an estimated cost of $3.8 million. To its credit, council has discussed working with the Franklin Township Sewer Authority on a plan that could present some cost savings. But council has not yet discussed publically whether additional revenue will be needed to fund a project.

That being said, with council and its engineer now moving forward, it will probably be sooner rather than later that a project estimate is prepared and residents can learn whether they will face any additional charges in their bills.