Residents in Sharon, Hermitage, Sharpsville and South Pymatuning Township are going to see an increase in their sewer bills. Now it's just a question of how much.

Officials from the four municipalities met with representatives from consulting engineers Gannett Fleming, Pittsburgh, to talk about the proposed plan to expand Sharon's sewer plant. Sharon and the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority, of which the other municipalities are members, must expand the plant by order of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The expansion is expected to cost about $19.8 million, said Daniel Goncz, manager of the municipal services group for Gannett Fleming.

Sharon is expected to pay 65.6 percent of the cost, while the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority will foot 34.4 percent of the bill.

The plant can accommodate 4.5 million gallons of sewage a day for treatment and needs to be expanded to treat 8.66 million gallons a day, Goncz said.

Sharon council President Fred Hoffman said he expects city residents to see their bimonthly sewer bills double from $40 to $80.

Hermitage Commissioner Joe Augustine said other customers will see their monthly rates rise from an average of $11.25 to possibly as much as $25.

Hoffman said he's concerned whether there will be PENNVEST money available to help offset the cost of the project. PENNVEST is a low-interest state loan plan for municipalities.

Sharon treats sewage from the Upper Shenango Valley Municipal Authority. The plant expansion is based on current levels and an estimate to accommodate future increases in sewage from the municipalities.

Evelyn Klein, who chairs the South Pymatuning Municipal Authority, said she wants to make sure the plant is expanded properly before anything is signed. She mentioned a previous expansion more than a decade ago which the communities are still paying for, only to learn that once again the plant is too small.

There is also a question whether Dean Dairy Products will pretreat its sewage before it gets to the plant. Goncz said the federal Environmental Protection Agency will probably decide whether the milk processor in South Pymatuning must pretreat its sewage.

Sharon will also have to spend $1.9 million to enlarge a siphon chamber on Connelly Boulevard. As designed, it can't accommodate sewage during peak flows and the excess is dumped untreated into the Shenango River.

Sharpsville Councilman Gus Grandy suggested the authority build its own plant, but Goncz said that would be just as costly as enlarging Sharon's plant without having the city to help foot the costs.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at
kgarrett@sharonherald.com