Sludge Watch ==> Pennsylvania - Hydropress doesn't complete sludge work

[Maureen Reilly]

General News

Engineer estimates $1 million cost to connect Shippenville to sewage system
By Tom DiStefano, Clarion News Writer


MARIANNE - It would cost Shippenville Borough close to $1 million to connect 
to the Paint-Elk Township Joint Municipal Authority sewage system, according 
to a study done by the authority?s engineers.


And that figure is to fund expansion of the treatment plant. The borough 
would also have to pay $4 or more for every 1,000 gallons of sewage treated 
at the Paint-Elk plant.

Engineer Brian Sekula of the EADS Group presented the results of his 
analysis of the situation at the recent authority meeting.

Sekula said adding Shippenvilles sewage to the Paint-Elk system would exceed 
the treatment plant?s capacity, and to add the capacity would mean adding 
aerators and other facilities, estimated to cost $925,000 at todays prices.

That upgrade would be adequate to handle the current service area, adding 
the River Hill neighborhood (as is being required by DEP) and the 
Shippenville sewage for 20 years at current rates of growth, Sekula said.

Without adding Shippenville, the sewage plant would be good for ten to 15 
years or more, assuming the addition River Hill, ten new customers a year, 
and a reduction in stormwater entering the system.

Newly-appointed authority member Dave Smail noted that the projected cost of 
the River Hill project, added to the cost of adding Shippenville, would mean 
a burden of $2.2 million for the authority.

The operational costs of treating Shippenville?s sewage would add $70,000 a 
year to the authoritys budget, Sekula said, and would mean the authority 
would have to charge Shippenville $4 to $5 per thousand gallons for bulk 
sewage service.

Authority chair Hunter McMeans said he received a letter from Paint Township 
supervisor Ed Bouch advising that he and other supervisors are opposed to 
allowing Shippenville to connect to the authority?s system, saying this 
would limit grown and development by reducing the capacity of the sewage 
system.

Bouch had also appeared at the authoritys Jan. 3 meeting and expressed a 
similar opinion on his own behalf.

Shippenvilles got a problem, McMeans said. ?hey deserve a decision.

McMeans said the authority should invite Shippenville officials to a meeting 
to review the figures and ?give us their thoughts, talk about it some more.

The authority board voted unanimously to send Shippenville Borough a letter 
informing them of the project costs and inviting them to the next authority 
meeting.

The authority board generally meets quarterly, but decided to schedule its 
next meeting for March 13, which would be the third meeting this year.

Sludge bill dispute

The authority is in dispute with a company hired to remove and dry sewage 
sludge from the treatment plant ponds, and has handed the matter off to its 
legal counsel.

Sekula said Hydropress Inc. was hired to remove and process the sludge, but 
allegedly missed the deadline for completing the work by 23 days.

Under the contract, the authority could assess ?liquidated damages,? 
penalizing Hydropress for going over schedule. Hydropress officials objected 
to the damages as unfair, Sekula said.

McMeans said the authority asked Hydropress to remove additional sludge in 
lieu of paying the damages, which totaled about $11,000 on a contract 
totaling a little less than $200,000.

Hydropress refused the offer and the authority turned the matter over to 
legal counsel, William Strong of Clarion.

?We look out for the people on the Paint-Elk sewer system, McMeans said.

Sekula said Strong will address the matter when he returns from vacation.

Another attorney is handling another legal matter regarding the authority.

The owner of Forest Park Estates has been ordered to install new sewer 
lateral connections for the units in the mobile home park, but has so far 
failed to do so.

Sekula said John Marshall, Paint Townships legal counsel, is drafting a 
letter to park owner Chris Cussins on the matter. Paint Township serves as 
sewage system manager for the authority.

McMeans noted that he and other customers of the authority were required to 
replace old clay tile laterals to reduce stormwater infiltration into the 
sanitary sewers.

The authority in recent years put in new collector lines to serve the mobile 
home park, and it is up to the landowner to replace the laterals connecting 
the units to the collectors.