Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority officials hope the long-standing odor problem at its Harmar treatment plant can be solved soon.
Plant Manager Rich Chiavaretta said the right combination of chemicals is needed to grow bacteria to treat the odors at the treatment plant's digester. The sewage plant is upriver of the Hulton Bridge in Harmar off Freeport Road.
Chiavaretta said Thursday he hopes the odors can be eliminated by mid- to late-January.
The state Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Health Department have been in contact with plant officials after complaints were received.
Published reports indicate complaints have occurred since early 2009 and the odor is caused by hydrogen sulfide.
The treatment plant has been in operation since 1959. In the early days, sewage was treated with chlorine.
But the 1972 federal Clean Water Act required that 85 percent to 95 percent of pollutants must be removed. This measure required sewage treatment plants to start using biological processes.
In other business, the board approved a $1.59 million budget for next year, an increase of $88,000, or 5.9 percent.
Rates in the service areas of Springdale, Springdale Township, Cheswick, Harmar, West Deer and a section of Richland are determined by elected officials and based on how much flow each municipality sends to the treatment plant.
Officials said a new scheduling procedure will save the authority $26,000 in overtime wages next year. Overtime pay for working on Saturdays and Sundays will be eliminated.
The authority's new fiscal year begins on Feb. 1.
No capital projects are in the works for next year, but the board could authorize projects as summer nears.
George Guido is a freelance writer for Trib Total Media.
