Slowly but surely, officials in the Greater Johnstown area are beginning to wrangle with a massive overflow problem plaguing a sewage network that covers 20 municipalities.
In the latest example, supervisors in Conemaugh Township, Cambria County, have passed an ordinance requiring anyone selling a home to first verify that surface water is not leaking into sewage pipes.
That same water “infiltration” problem causes overflows of untreated waste throughout the overburdened Johnstown Regional Sewage system.
“Everybody in this region needs to work together to solve it,” said Kurt Freidhoff, a Conemaugh Township supervisor and chairman of Pegasus Sewer Authority in that area.
Township residents who are selling a house must perform a “pressure test,” Freidhoff said.
Officials are looking for two problems: Failing pipes or, in some cases, illegal connections that send water directly into the sewage system.
“It’s not a very expensive test,” Freidhoff said.
It is the same job – albeit on a much smaller scale – that officials everywhere within the Johnstown Regional Sewage system are tackling under a mandate from state and federal regulators.
Officials must identify and address the points where water such as storm runoff makes its way into the system.
That water, especially during heavy precipitation, is forcing raw sewage into rivers and streams.
Officials have identified about 80 such overflows, said Ron Repak of Johnstown Redevelopment Authority.
The authority, which owns and operates the system’s Dornick Point sewage-treatment plant, is taking the lead in efforts to solve the problem.
It is a huge undertaking expected to take eight to 10 years and tens of millions of dollars. Many municipalities and residents will have to foot at least a portion of the bill.
For instance, Dale Borough must build an entirely new sewage system because its current system mixes sewage and surface water.
Residents’ rates will rise incrementally to help pay for the multimillion-dollar project.
“There are a lot of good things happening out there already,” Repak said.
To formulate a plan to address the problem systemwide, the redevelopment authority currently is soliciting bids from engineering firms.
“We’re trying to put this in motion and quantify everything that’s out there,” Repak said.
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