Cheswick, Harmar, Springdale and Springdale Township getting $65 million sewage fix

The Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority has started a $65 million project designed to fix sanitary sewage overflows that happen when it rains.

The project comes at the request of the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Health Department, which sent a consent order to the authority in 2014 requiring several issues to be fixed.

The authority serves nearly 13,000 customers in Cheswick, Harmar, Springdale and Springdale Township as well as the Deer Creek Drainage Basin, which includes Indiana Township and Fox Chapel.

The project, called an Act 537 Plan, is in the design phase this year with an estimated completion date of September 2022.

Plant manager Mike Henry said the improvements include consolidating the authority's five pump stations into one, and replacing existing pipes with larger gravity pipes that can more efficiently push the water and sewage through.

The plant also will increase its maximum flow amounts to ensure sewage overflows don't happen.

The plant has been using flow monitors to determine where issues are located.

"Through that flow monitors process, every one of our major pump stations basically had separate sanitary sewer overflows," Henry said. "Most of those pump stations except one were built back in 1964."

Tim Kephart, assistant plant manager, said the plan comes after much research by KLH Engineers.

"The engineers have already studied this," Kephart said. "It's probably better to have one pump station and put in bigger gravity sewer lines."

Henry said the plant has been taking in well above its normal daily flow amounts, because of the recent rainstorms.

"Our normal daily flow is 5.5 mgd (million gallons per day)," he said. "Our peak flow, just because of the rain events we've had recently, we've been up as high as 29 mgd."

The current system is only built to handle a peak flow of 12.5 million gallons per day, well below the flows that have been occurring. The planned improvements will allow for a peak flow of 32 million gallons per day.

Rates to increase

Because of the upgrades, the authority would charge municipalities an estimated $7.88 per 1,000 gallons. The current rate is $2.30 per 1,000 gallons.

Municipalities can determine their own rates for residents.

Henry said costs for water customers won't go up until at least 2020, when contract bids are sought.

Springdale Township Commissioner Tim Sweet, who oversees water and sewage for the township, said he's met with authority officials to go over the plan. He said the cost increases might seem like a lot for some people, but it's non-negotiable.

"It's a necessity," he said. "It has to be done."

Springdale Township approved the plan March 1.

Calls made to Harmar, Springdale and Cheswick officials regarding the 537 Plan were unsuccessful.

The authority plans to finance the project, something they haven't done for quite some time.

"The authority hasn't had any debt where they had to go out and borrow money for probably 20 years," Henry said.

Emily Balser is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4680, emilybalser@tribweb.com or on Twitter @emilybalser.