Perry County work group advances multi‑municipal Act 537 sewage planning
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Summary
County planning work group reviewed the multi‑municipal Act 537 sewage facilities plan update, explained that each municipality will have a chapter tied to DEP requirements, and discussed the need for water testing and coordinated funding to address aging systems.
Speaker 3 and other members of the Perry County planning work group reviewed the county’s multi‑municipal update to the Act 537 sewage facilities plan, emphasizing that the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) sewage facilities regulations require each municipality to have an approved sewage facilities plan.
"It's sewage facilities planning," Speaker 1 said, describing Act 537 as the DEP process municipalities must follow. Speaker 2 added that the plan is mandatory and that in many places municipalities coordinate sewage planning with their comprehensive plan and zoning so long‑term growth and treatment needs align.
Why it matters: the group said a multi‑municipal plan lets the county and municipalities combine planning work while keeping municipal‑specific chapters that DEP can use to pursue project funding. Speakers noted that a countywide, multi‑chapter approach can lower per‑municipality costs and make it easier to secure grant and DEP support for projects ranging from small collection systems to major plant upgrades.
Speakers discussed examples where local decisions followed an Act 537 process: one township chose to install a collection system that routed flows under the river to a neighboring borough's treatment plant. The group said plans also require upfront water testing to document groundwater and surface water conditions and to demonstrate where community systems are needed.
Cost and funding: the work group acknowledged wide cost variability for Act 537 plans and subsequent infrastructure projects, and urged municipal cooperation to reduce costs. One speaker observed that larger systems and treatment plants carry higher planning and construction costs than rural septic conversions.
Next steps: the planning team will assemble a list of municipalities that have agreed to partner on the multi‑municipal plan and pursue coordinated DE P funding opportunities. Speakers encouraged municipalities to reach out to county staff with questions and to prepare the water testing and documentation DEP expects.