Valley sewer ban may be lifted

By Karen Blackledge
The Danville News

July 11, 2008 04:00 am

— VALLEY TWP. -- If state officials agree Valley Township is acting aggressively enough, a moratorium on new sewer connections could be lifted Friday.
Ten projects, including an Armed Forces Reserve Center that will bring 384 people to the township on weekends, could start if the ban is lifted, according to municipal authority engineer Paul Krizan
Krizan said the hope is to obtain $2 million in grants to help pay for most of the upgrades at the Valley Township plant. Operating the current plant and sending excess sewage to Danville, a plan proposed by Krizan and agreed upon by township supervisors at Wednesday night's meeting, could allow residents' rates to remain at $49 a month. That rate was increased as of July 1 with some unmetered customers previously paying $20 a month.
U.S. Rep. Chris Carney's office has spurred on the recent activity because it wants the armory in Valley and wants the state to release enough sewage units for it, Krizan said.
"The message I got is the Valley Township site is the Pennsylvania National Guard's first choice," he said.
Krizan said other projects that will benefit from the lifting of the moratorium include the Comfort Inn and housing developments, including Valley Green. The projects have been waiting in limbo since the moratorium was imposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection this spring when the Valley Township plant was at capacity.
Upgrades and infrastructure work at the Valley Township plant will cost an estimated $2.6 million, authority executive director Steve Traub said. The authority will look for as much grant money as possible. The upgrades would include a pumping station and extending lines to Danville.
"We don't know if we would have to pre-treat nitrogen or phosphates. That would be a whole new ballgame," he said.
The tap-in fee for Valley's 430 residential and commercial customers to tap into the Danville system would be $500 each or a total of $225,000.
The plan to export excess sewage will be sent to Danville, Mahoning Township and Riverside, three municipalities that share the Danville plant, as well as planning commissioners. The plan will eventually go to DEP after the municipalities, commission and Valley Township approves it.
Krizan will be meeting with DEP officials Friday outlining what the township is doing to eliminate excess water getting into sewage lines, the cause of the plant exceeding its capacity.
The authority will start smoke testing of lines at the end of this month or in early August. It will also inspect manholes and televise lines next year to check for water infiltration.
In five to six years, the Valley Township plant would be subject to Chesapeake Bay regulations to reduce nutrient and phosphate discharges, Traub said. At that time, the authority could face $700,000 more in upgrades or shutting down the plant and sending all Valley Township sewage to Danville.
The state Senate has passed a bill for $800 million to assist smaller plants with grants and loans. The bill is now in the House of Representatives, Traub said. If Valley Township commits totally to Danville, its sewage plant would have to be dismantled but its building could be kept for storage, he said.
Resident Elijah Evans, who has a housing development contingent on the lifting of the moratorium, suggested commercial and small businesses be required to install water-saving units such as a waterless urinal that can save 40,000 gallons a year to reduce future water use and sewer costs. "Let's make some changes on how much water is coming into the plant. This will affect all of us for a very long time," he said.
Krizan said he could pose it at Friday's meeting with DEP.
Evans said this information could be shared with hotels and motels. Traub said the authority could link it with the rate increase.
E-mail comments to kblackledge@thedanvillenews.com.