Connoquenessing Township approves on-lot sewage maintenance ordinance
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Supervisors approved an ordinance at their meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 2, to give the township the ability to regulate and inspect residential on-lot sewage systems, or septic tanks.
The ordinance lays down rules and restrictions for what sewage system operators are allowed to do with them, as well as granting “authorized agents” the ability to inspect sewage systems “at any reasonable time.”
An “authorized agent” is defined in the ordinance as “a sewage enforcement officer, employee of the township, professional engineer, plumbing inspector, or any other qualified or licensed person.”
“Basically, it provides that homeowners with on-lot systems need to maintain their system so there's not a malfunction,” said township solicitor Andrew Menchyk. “So if there's a septic tank that needs to be pumped, it needs to be pumped as needed to ensure that there is no sewage that’s being illegally discharged onto the ground or onto the surface.”
Any person found guilty of violating the ordinance will be levied a fine of no more than $1,000 or, if they are unable to pay, sentenced to prison for no more than 90 days. Each extra day violating the ordinance will be considered a separate offense.
While a small portion of residences along the border with Butler Township are serviced by the Butler Area Sewer Authority (which is currently on the brink of being acquired by Pennsylvania American Water), the vast majority of residences in Connoquenessing Township are not connected to any municipal sewage system. These residences rely on individual on-lot sewage systems.
One minor alteration was made between the draft ordinance and its passing on Wednesday. The original draft stated owners of sewage systems would be given only 24 hours advance notice before a township inspection.
Thanks to a public comment, the notice period was extended to 72 hours in the final version.
In the meantime, the township is still working on finalizing an Act 537 plan to address current and future sewage needs.
The township is in the process of collecting surveys from residents, both door-to-door and by mail. According to township supervisor Angela Fleeger, the township has collected about 200 mail-in surveys, while around 240 door-to-door surveys have been collected from 712 dwellings, which include both homes and businesses in the township.
“The mail-in surveys ... we’re asking residents to turn those in before the end of the month,” Fleeger said. “At that point, our first report is due back to the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), and we'd like to have all that information.”
