Connoquenessing Township sewer plan debuts
CONNOQUENESSING — Gibson-Thomas Engineering presented four options Wednesday, Jan. 31, for a sewer system in Connoquenessing Township to a room crowded by people with questions about the cost and scale of a potential project.
The options presented at a meeting at Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company include up to 940 connections to a public wastewater system in the township at an estimated cost of up to $57 million. The township has been under pressure for years from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to come up with a plan to satisfy Act 537, which requires municipalities to have a plan to address public wastewater needs.
The Connoquenessing Township Sewer Authority hired Gibson-Thomas in April to review a plan crafted and presented by Herbert, Rowland and Grubic in 2022, and make changes that were suggested by residents of the township. HRG presented five scenarios to the authority in July 2022 ranging from $27 million to $51 million with a capacity of up to 1,100 customers.
Lambert Rosenbaum, chairman of the authority, said he expected the cost to implement Gibson-Thomas’ plan to increase from the plan presented by HRG in 2022. He added that the options presented Wednesday are far from final.
“HRG had accurate numbers when they completed theirs; prices have just gone up,” Rosenbaum said. “Nothing is being recommended tonight, we are just presenting to the people so they know.”
The options representatives of Gibson-Thomas Engineering presented Wednesday focused on three regions of Connoquenessing Township: Brandywine Village, Shannon Mills and Powder Mill. The township has 53 recorded malfunctioning systems, according to Rosenbaum, and each of the three regions has at least one malfunctioning system.
“There’s 53 violations in the township right now that are identified,” Rosenbaum said. “They have identified all 53 violations, and they look at the options for what to do.”
The option at the meeting recommended by Gibson-Thomas and its senior project designer Allen Kniss involved installing two new pump stations in Brandywine Village. This plan involves splitting the project into three building phases, and potentially creating and connecting more than 600 units to a sewer system. The first phase, which would take from one to five years, would cost a little over $22 million, while the ensuing phases would bring the cost up to an estimated $55 million.
Other options included connecting units to the public sewage focused in different areas, or connecting a system in Connoquenessing Township with other nearby wastewater treatment systems like Butler Area Sewer Authority or Saxonburg Area Authority. The first option presented by the engineers would serve 940 units, run wastewater to an existing treatment plant, create six new pump stations and cost about $42.3 million.
Connoquenessing Township supervisors meetings and meetings of the sewer authority have been well attended for years by residents concerned about the plan for sewage — the cost and scale of the project being the main sticking points.
Mark Gera, president of Gibson-Thomas Engineering, said at the meeting that the options are based on direction from the sewer authority, which are mainly based on satisfying DEP requirements.
“We’re trying to get a scope approved by the DEP and solve the problem for the township,” Gera said.
Barbara McMillen, with Gibson-Thomas Engineering, reviewed funding options for the township. She said the township’s median annual income reported by the census of $91,000 a year could prevent Connoquenessing Township from acquiring certain grants through PENNVEST, for example. However, she said the grant possibilities can’t be estimated prior to the selection of a plan.
“There (are) funds out there to help people, but at this point we don’t know what the costs are going to be because we haven’t decided on a final scope,” McMillen said. “Once that is determined, we will be able to estimate what the monthly user fee will be, as well as what the cost will be.”
Kniss said the numbers presented were worst-case scenario. They didn’t take into account grants the township could receive, or negotiations administrators could have with agencies like the Saxonburg Area Authority, which was mentioned in some of the options.
Following the presentation, the representatives of Gibson-Thomas answered questions asked prior by township supervisors and sewer authority board members, then took more questions from the audience.
