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Lower Pottsgrove considers a Porter Road wastewater plant to reduce future costs
Summary
Authority engineers outlined a proposed wastewater plant on township-owned land behind the Porter Road pump station sized for roughly a 3.0 million-gallon annual average; preliminary construction estimates ranged from about $14 million to $15.8 million and staff will refine cost and O&M figures.
The Lower Pottsgrove Township Authority asked its engineer to refine a study on Nov. 12 for a potential wastewater treatment plant on township-owned land behind the Porter Road pump station.
Engineer Fred Ebert told commissioners the site — a township parcel of just over seven acres where about 95% of flow currently passes — could accommodate a treatment facility with a conservative design sized for an annual average flow of about 3.0 million gallons, a peak daily flow of about 4.5 million gallons and a peak hourly flow of about 9 million gallons. The proposed process would include headworks with screening, inflow equalization, a three-basin sequential batch reactor treatment system, UV disinfection and a belt filter press. Ebert said the site requirements would likely include 3–5 acres of developed area, a 250-foot buffer and tractor-trailer access.
Ebert provided a preliminary construction cost estimate "around $15.8 million including soft cost and contingency" but also said he does not expect the project to exceed $14 million — an inconsistency he flagged while describing the conservative estimate. He estimated Lower Pottsgrove could save roughly $400,000 per year if it built and operated its own plant rather than continuing to pay increased charges from the Borough of Pottstown, but he recommended further refinement of both construction and operation-and-maintenance estimates.
Commissioners expressed interest in and concerns about the idea, noting potential additional administrative work for staffing, scheduling and billing if the Authority operated its own plant. The Authority agreed to have Ebert refine the construction cost and prepare a detailed O&M budget to inform a future decision; no commitment to build was made at the Nov. 12 meeting.
If the Authority proceeds to the next step, staff will present refined cost and operational projections for board review prior to any procurement or design authorization.
