Costly sewer project gets late break
Five years and nearly $60 million into complying with a federal consent decree to fix its sewer problems, Penn Hills is getting a break on the cost of its final phase of the project.
Council has awarded a $1.3 million contract for the first phase of the Plum Creek Equalization Facility, which will include a 1.5 million gallon holding tank to provide relief to the system during surge conditions caused by storms.
'This is the first of four phases of the project to relieve those surge conditions, and it should be done by Oct. 1, ultimately costing between $2.2 million and $2.5 million,' said Jim Schaffer, acting director of the municipal wastewater department.
But it's the final phase of projects that were ordered by the federal government for ongoing violations of the U.S. Clean Water Act.
Original cost projections for the Plum Creek Equalization Facility were set closer to the $5 million mark, but those costs have been reduced because of some changes in design and location.
That's primarily because officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection were adamant about building an underground holding tank made of concrete.
Those requirements have been loosened to allow for an above-ground tank made of steel with a glass coating, which is what state officials recently allowed Plum officials to build.
When Penn Hills officials pointed this out to the DEP, they were allowed to go with the same specifications.
Commending Schaffer for fighting for the above-ground tank, Councilman Bob Sevcik said Plum appears to be enjoying what amounts to 'most favored nation' status with the state DEP.
'They haven't allowed us to go with that design before,' Sevcik said. 'The state made an issue out of it and made us do ridiculous things in the past, to the tune of $59 million. But it's like giving candy to one child, and having to give it to the other one who's standing there as well.'
Sevcik has been critical of the fact that other municipalities have received state grants for their sewer projects, while Penn Hills has basically had to pay its own way.
Penn Hills became the first community in the nation to receive criminal convictions for violations of the U.S. Clean Water Act for knowingly discharging untreated or partially treated sewage into the Allegheny River and its tributaries, at least as far back as 1986.
Filed in federal court in 1991, the municipality wound up pleading guilty to three violations and paid an initial fine of $150,000.
The consent decree also required Penn Hills to connect its system to the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority. In 1996, Alcosan sued the municipality for an alleged $905,000 owed in overdue bills. Municipal officials argued that the amount owed was closer to $605,000.
And along the way, Penn Hills has upgraded its sewage treatment facilities for what is expected to reach $59 million.
Sevcik contended that Penn Hills is now operating at a level above that of Alcosan, and Schaffer agreed.
Another reason for the reduced cost on the final phase of the consent decree is the location of the Plum Creek Equalization Facility. It will be built off Jodie Lane, rather than crossing the creek and having to buy or lease property from Plum.
At last week's meeting, council voted to award a $1.26 million contract to Basic Service Inc. for general work, as well as a $102,000 electrical contract to Moletz Electrical.
Although the 'inflow and infiltration' system generally separates sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff, problems have arisen during periods of heavy rainfall, causing the surges in the system.
The municipality also is taking up an aggressive enforcement program to remove the flow of downspouts and gutters from sanitary sewer lines, Schaffer noted.
Tom Jewell can be reached at tjewell@tribweb.com or (412) 380-8516.
