Basic HTML Version
http://www.sharon-herald.com
THE HERALD,
Sharon, Pa.,
Thursday, November 11, 1999
A-5
Author:
Filename: 540801
Description: SHARON RE-
GIONAL
Graphic Not Available!
By Kristen Garrett
Herald Staff Writer
Sharon council is gambling on a
quick fix to the city’s sewer prob-
lems by providing the state Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection
with a required plan by Nov. 17.
On Oct. 25 council rejected the
recommended proposal from KLH
Engineers Inc. of Pittsburgh for a to-
tal plant expansion at a cost of $10
million.
KLH presented council with sever-
al plans to stop the excess intake of
water into the treatment plant. The
options included expanding the head-
works of the plant — where incom-
ing sewage is screened and degritted
— and building a relief sewer.
The DEP requires the city to sub-
mit a plan, and Tuesday council
members decided to ask for a sec-
ond extension. The original due date
was in October. They also agreed on
a draft plan to fix the city’s sewer
problems.
The draft plan calls for sending
television cameras down the sewer
lines to find places where the pipes
are cracked or collapsed.
City solicitor William Madden said
they hope to reduce excess water in-
take by 2.2 million gallons a day.
Mayor Robert T. Price said there
seems to be a direct correlation be-
tween river levels and excess water
coming into the sewer system.
Madden said the draft plan also
calls for removing down spouts from
100 homes a year for the next five
years to stop excess water from en-
tering the sewer system. He said
many spouts are connected to the
sanitary sewers instead of the storm
drains, and this may reduce intake.
There are manholes in the city
which may also cause excess water
in the sewer system, Madden said.
Madden said if a sewer system
goes over the allotted intake three
months in a row, it’s no longer in
compliance with DEP regulations.
He said Sharon’s system was not in
compliance this year.
Madden said the city has to re-
quest a plan extension from the DEP
and lay out a compliance plan. He
said the initial cost will be $100,000
to check the lines, but it is impossi-
ble to say how much it will cost to
fix them.
Crews could discover it’s going to
take a few million dollars to fix the
damaged lines, or it could take $20
million dollars, he said. He said in
that case the city would have to go
with the $10 million plant expansion
proposed by KLH.
Councilman Fred Hoffman said he
was not comfortable with not having
a definite cost for the project. “I don’t
know what you guys want us to do.
Write a blank check?,” he said.
Michael Gasparich, city finance di-
rector, said the city will ask for a $3
million tax anticipation loan from
PENNVEST, a low-interest state loan
program.
Madden said the city has to prove
to the DEP there is action being tak-
en now on the problem.
“There’s no crystal ball,” Madden
said. “There’s no guarantees.”
Council has plan to fix sewer problems
SHARON