Published Thursday, October 10, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
Sharpsville residents are going to see a significant increase in their sewer bills because the state Department of Environmental Protection is forcing Sharon to expand its sewage treatment plant.
Bills could go up as much as $40, increasing the average resident's $21 monthly bill to roughly $60 a month, Borough Manager Mike Wilson said.
Wilson said he is warning residents because the cost of the expansion "will eventually make its way back upstream to Sharpsville."
He added that DEP representatives said $60 a month for sewers is in line with what many people in the state pay.
The increase will be a result of Sharon having to expand its sewage treatment plant at an estimated cost of $25 to $30 million. Sharon and the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority have agreed with DEP to update their sewer plan by July 31.
In the past, Sharon was fined for violating the federal Clean Water Act which prohibits polluting streams and rivers with sewage. DEP enforces the law in Pennsylvania.
Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority oversees sewage treatment for Sharpsville, South Pymatuning Township, Patagonia and a portion of Brookfield. The sewage is treated at the Sharon plant.
The authority must pay for about $9 million of the expansion, and Sharpsville's share will be two-thirds of that, said solicitor Joseph Joseph.
The treatment plant is taking in an excess of 2.2 million gallons a day of groundwater. The water comes from cracked pipes that admit runoff from rain and snow and from the improperly capped drains of demolished houses.
For years, the state has prodded Sharon to reduce the amount of excess inflow entering the sewage treatment plant.
Since the city's previous efforts to do so have failed, DEP is requiring the expansion to treat more sewage.
Councilman Alex Kovach said he heard Sharon officials believe Sharpsville is responsible for the excess inflow.
Joseph said no one from Sharon has actually come out and said Sharpsville is responsible. There is also on-going discussion about how much sewage Dean Dairy, South Pymatuning Township, sends into the plant, he said.
Officials from Sharon, Dean Dairy and the authority are supposed to meet with state Sen. Robert D. "Bob" Robbins, Salem Township, R-50th District and Michael C. Gruitza, Hermitage, D-7th District, to discuss DEP's mandate.
Joseph said meeting with state elected officials won't do any good because DEP is insisting on the sewage system improvements. He said the only thing Robbins and Gruitza can do is help find more grant money to cover some of the cost.
Sharon and other local communities have paid most of the costs of sewage system cleanup programs in recent years by borrowing from the state's PENNVEST fund.
Sharon Council President Fred Hoffman said in September that customers in Sharon will probably see their sewer fees -- which are between $27 and $30 every two months -- double or triple.