Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sewage Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Township preps case for DEP extension of Act 537 sewage plan
Summary
Longswamp Township engineers and the solicitor are preparing talking points and a written summary for an April 22 meeting with PA DEP to request an extension of the township's Act 537 sewage plan, focusing on lower-cost on-lot systems and smaller neighborhood community systems as alternatives to prohibitively expensive large community systems.
Longswamp Township officials said they will ask the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on April 22 for an extension to complete the township's Act 537 sewage facilities plan.
Township Engineer Jill Smith explained the township completed a needs assessment and alternatives analysis that considered a municipal treatment plant and using Topton Borough's treatment plant but found both options unworkable. Costs made previously approved community-system designs infeasible during implementation, Smith said, and the township is now emphasizing on-lot systems with contingency planning for high-need areas where small lot sizes make standard on-lot systems impractical.
The extension request will seek time for professionals to revise the plan and to explore smaller neighborhood community systems instead of two large systems that posed significant infrastructure and right-of-way challenges, Smith said. Solicitor Beth Kohl asked that staff prepare a short written summary of what has been done so far and recommended a preparatory phone call with available staff to coordinate talking points and highlight specific requests to DEP.
Resident Ron Young asked for a summary of prior actions on the Act 537 plan; the township confirmed a summary will be provided in advance of the DEP meeting. The Sewage Enforcement Officer will join the DEP call to answer permitting and technical questions.
Next steps: the township will submit the written summary and hold the April 22 Teams meeting with DEP to seek the extension. Staff said they will continue to evaluate smaller, neighborhood-scale community systems as fallback options for constrained locations.
