FTMA tells council it found more than 1,000 serious sewer defects, secures loans and grant for repairs

Vice chair of the Franklin Township Municipal Authority, Mister Mitel, told Murrysville Borough Council that FTMA entered a DEP consent order after hydraulic overflows, manhole failures and raw sewage discharges prompted required systemwide work.

FTMA completed a flow-monitoring study, a manhole survey covering more than 4,500 structures, smoke and dye testing and internal video inspections of lines, Mitel said. "We found over 1,000" 4- and 5-level defects — the most serious category — and "we fixed most of them," he said. He estimated about 20 to 23 of the worst, deep defects remain and will require outside contractors.

Why it matters: The consent order and FTMA’s repairs affect residents served by the authority across parts of Murrysville and neighboring municipalities, with potential rate implications to cover borrowing and capital costs.

Mitel outlined repairs at the treatment plant that were discovered when FTMA board members took over operation in 2019: improvised electrical connections where fuses had been bypassed, valve leaks temporarily sealed with concrete, and makeshift pipe repairs secured with rubber and ratchet straps. FTMA hired an electrical contractor, replaced pumps at the main pump station and has purchased in-house equipment to reduce contractor costs for smoke testing and other tasks.

FTMA also is upgrading process equipment. Mitel said the authority replaced obsolete anaerobic digester equipment with an aerobic digestion system and installed a belt filter press to dewater sludge; the result is intended to reduce odors and the volume of solids sent to landfill. "We think this going to this aerobic digestion is going to cut down on quite a bit" of odor, Mitel said.

Funding and next steps: Mitel said FTMA has obtained a multi-million-dollar loan and a separate grant to address capital needs. In the presentation he referenced a $7,600,000 loan and an $850,000 grant to replace building doors and windows; he also said FTMA has borrowed ‘‘about $30,000,000 so far’’ and has authorized another $10,000,000. He said FTMA is reviewing interceptor alignment work under DEP permit because some lines are close to streams and may require mitigation such as a flow-equalization tank.

On customer-side infiltration, Mitel said FTMA enforces a lateral resale ordinance that requires lateral inspection when homes are sold or refinanced; the authority has completed more than 1,500 lateral inspections since 2020 and will address homeowner connections case by case.

Operational data: The plant is rated at 4.9 million gallons per day and currently averages roughly 2 to 2.5 million gallons per day, Mitel said. To better understand post-repair performance, FTMA extended flow-monitoring contracts for about 80 monitors for roughly three additional months to capture wetter conditions.

Council questions: Council members pressed on reporting to DEP, cost estimates for the remaining severe defects and whether repairs will raise customer fees. Mitel said FTMA files a semiannual written report to the DEP and that the DEP ‘‘was kind of impressed with the progress’’ it has seen. On rates, Mitel said residents should expect an increase but that FTMA is trying to limit it; he noted other nearby systems charge more in monthly sewage fees.

What happens next: FTMA will continue flow monitoring, complete contracted repairs on the remaining severe defects and advance DEP-permitted interceptor projects. Council members asked FTMA to provide the monthly engineer progress report to municipal staff for distribution and follow-up.