Harrison residents who live near Sylvan Park should get some relief from sewer overflows because of a $555,000 township project to upgrade lines in the area.
Work is expected to start this week and last through January.
The Little Bull Creek sanitary sewer project will impact homes near the park, which sits below Route 28 off Burtner Road.
Work will target Sylvan Avenue and Lowell Street on one side and Brook Alley and Parkway Avenue on the other.
Township Manager Amy Rockwell said the project consists of two parts, one of which will upsize an 18-inch sewer pipe along Brook Alley to a 24-inch pipe. It targets about 915 feet of pipe, from the pool through Brook Alley and up Parkway Avenue to Pearl Street.
The second upgrade will involve a 10-inch pipe being expanded to a 15-inch line along an unnamed tributary to Little Bull Creek. Work will affect 1,110 feet of sewer line and related infrastructure, from a manhole on Sylvan Park property, along a stream behind the pool parking lots, to the intersection of Lowell and Roe streets.
Commissioners have been eyeing the work for a few years.
The area has been hard hit by flooding during heavy rain events, and residents have pleaded with township officials to do something about the problem. In 2015, heavy rains twice overwhelmed the sewer system enough to send floodwaters into Sylvan Pool, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
The township worked with residents in the area to obtain easements in 2022 and early 2023, Rockwell said.
“Although it may be disruptive during the construction process, it represents a real improvement,” Commissioner Chuck Dizard said.
The project was mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Dizard said.
“Fortunately, the township received grant funding to make this upgrade possible,” he said. “Little by little, we are improving the infrastructure of important sewer and water lines.”
Money for the project came through the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill approved by Congress in 2021.
Work was bid this year and awarded to Pride Masonry Inc. of Evans City.
Rockwell said contractors waited until the pool season ended before starting the work.
Residents have been notified of potential street detours caused by the excavation.
