TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
Work is underway on the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority treatment plant expansion project.
The expansion is part of a federally mandated upgrade to control discharges of sewage and stormwater into the Allegheny River.
Harmar Township engineer Matthew Pitsch said Hancock Camp Road, a private road that serves the Werner Camp property between the river and railroad tracks near Target, is closed for construction of the plant. The only public road in Harmar that is anticipated to be a part of the construction is Wenzel Drive, he said.
Brad Yaksich, a member of Cheswick Council, said work will begin in late summer or fall along the river leading to the borough’s Rachel Carson Park. He said the park will be closed during construction. Waterlines will be installed at the park to access water and restrooms will be built.
“If everything goes well, they should be done in the park area and have everything cleaned up by next spring,” he said.
Yakisch said the recent removal of the two nearby excavators was a part of the work being done for the sewage pipeline project, but the borough had nothing to do with the excavators. That work was being done by a contractor, Greenland Construction.
The work is part of the authority’s plans to expand its sewage treatment capacity from the current 5.5 million gallons a day to 8 million gallons by 2023. As recently as May 9, 2020, the cost of the plant expansion was estimated to be $65 million. Authority Manager Tim Kephart said the bid for the plant was $97.6 million.
Covid-related delays contributed to costs rising, he said. The increase in costs has pushed municipalities to increase their sewage rates.
Four municipalities — Springdale, Springdale Township, Harmar and Cheswick — are served by the authority. Parts of West Deer, Indiana Township, Fox Chapel and Richland also receive service from the authority.
In Harmar, supervisors raised the monthly rate for the authority’s 1,435 Harmar customers.
Users pay $11 per 1,000 gallons used — that’s up from the previous $7.50 per 1,000 gallons, an increase of nearly 47%. Of that $11 figure, $3.50 is for regular sewage treatment and the other $7.50 is for the plant expansion.
Other communities prepared for the rising costs early on.
Springdale Mayor John Molnar said the borough already raised its rates to $11.25 per 1,000 gallons.
“We do not have control over it,” he said. “We have to pay our share.”
Molnar said the borough will review whether it will be necessary to raise sewage rates even more for next year’s budget.
Cheswick Council President Michael Girardi said Cheswick voted to raise its rates late last year. A flat fee was added to pay toward the plant’s expansion.
The usage rates there rose slightly, from $3.40 to $3.50 per 1,000 gallons. The flat fee going toward the plant amounts to $314.48 annually per household.
“This emphasizes how small municipalities need to work together more to find ways to reduce costs through collaborating,” Girardi said.
Kephart said the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection gave a consent order deadline for the project to be completed by Nov. 1, 2024.
“They just broke the ground here in the beginning of the year and things seem to be going OK,” he said.
Tanisha Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tanisha at 412-480-7306, tthomas@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Support Local Journalism and help us continue covering the stories that matter to you and your community.
TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
© 2022 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved
Send Letter to the Editor
TribLIVE App - App Store
TribLIVE App - Google Play