Upper Allegheny officials 'very pleased' with improvements to sewer systems

The Upper Allegheny Joint Sanitary Authority’s member municipalities have made progress with their state-mandated sewer improvement projects, but officials say there’s still work to be done.

The communities received status reports at an authority meeting last week on what still needs to be done to satisfy the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“They were very pleased with our progress, but asked for a little more of an update on meeting timelines,” said Edward Schmitt, the authority’s engineer.

Schmitt said the majority of the items needing attention are minor and more about providing documentation of what’s been done and what still needs to be fixed.

Brackenridge needs to document $3.6 million of PennVEST projects and provide a map and summary illustrating sewage rehabilitation and/or sewage separation projects over the past 10 years. Officials also need to schedule a time to clean and video sewer lines.

East Deer needs to provide a schedule to locate, uncover, map and raise all unlocated manholes and detail the Marion Street project.

East Deer Commissioners Chairman Tony Taliani said he hopes the Marion Street project will be finished this year. Crews ran into an issue with standing water in the pipe while trying to reline it.

“I feel good about where East Deer Township is,” he said. “We’ve accomplished a lot.”

Fawn was asked to provide a map of rehab projects located in the Upper Little Bull Creek area and also designate unlocated manholes on a map.

Harrison has to summarize all rehab and sewer separation projects over the past 10 years and discuss an issue on Main Street.

Harrison Manager Rich Hill said they have already compiled the list of projects from the past 10 years and are working to document any other issues that may arise.

“We’re just moving forward and, as issues crop up, we are to make sure we have a plan,” Hill said.

Buffalo Township, with the smallest amount of customers in the authority’s service area, has to provide a list of all lateral dye tests and a list of proposed projects with maps.

Officials said Tarentum has complied with the federal mandate to capture 85 percent of the flow in the borough, but a number of sewer lines and interceptors need to be cleaned and videoed. Tarentum also is to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows by Jan. 1, 2023.

Schmitt said that in addition to all of the individual municipal projects, the authority also is beginning a larger project that includes a long-term control plan. The plan calls for construction of a bigger sewer interceptor along Route 28, upgrades to the Bull Creek pump station under the Tarentum Bridge and an equalization tank to be constructed at the treatment plant, among other things.

That work will be ongoing through at least 2023 and could extend into 2025. Schmitt said the timelines still are being worked out with the state.

“The project, itself, is only in the preliminary stages for permitting,” he said.