By SUSAN EVANS
The Tribune-Democrat
EBENSBURG
June 28, 2009 11:41 pm
—
It’s sewage, so it smells.
That’s why the borough located its sewage treatment plant in a remote, wooded area off Route 22.
But with houses being built closer and closer – now within 900 feet of the plant – and with woods being cleared for even more development, Ebensburg since April has been receiving regular complaints about odors.
Borough Manager Dan Penatzer told council members at their meeting Monday that everything possible has been done, but the complaints have continued.
State environmental officials have inspected the plant on several occasions in response to complaints. “In all cases, the inspector has found the plant to be functioning properly,” he told the council.
“We’re wrestling with the odor, but it is a sewer plant, and it’s going to stink,” he said.
“With private timbering on nearby property, it will get worse. Our staff has done everything it can do to minimize the smells.”
Most of the complaints have come from the nearby S&P Estates, an expanding housing development behind the Crestwood development and closest to the sewage plant, he said.
Ironically, such a scenario was forecast 18 months ago, when Cambria Township officials were asked to permit expansion of the upscale housing development.
In January 2008, the township consulting engineer, Jack Schaffer, asked that a “buyer beware” notice be required for new houses at the site and that homebuyers be warned of possible smells from the nearby sewage treatment plant.
“The borough treatment plant operator (Ebensburg) is concerned. And with more homes being built closer to the plant, it would not be a deed restriction, but merely a ‘buyer beware’ clause,” he said at the 2008 meeting.
At that time, Penatzer agreed, saying any odors could become worse with the planned sewage treatment plant expansion.
Although the sewage plant entrance is south of Route 22, off Wilmore Road, the road to the plant goes back in to below Crestwood Estates, he said.
“With the expansion, the plant will come close to the gate. There are homes on the road near the entranceway into the plant, and we have not had complaints from there, but any odors that are at the plant today will get worse with the expansion project because with the design, there will be more product exposed,” Penatzer said in 2008.
At Monday’s meeting, he told council that the borough has taken these steps:
• Since the plant upgrade last year, there are four digesters instead of two. Staff cut back to using only three at any given time, but the complaints continued.
• Complaints were reported most often at 6 a.m., noon and early evening, Penatzer said. Staff changed procedures so that there was not a sudden “surge” of operations, he said. The complaints continued.
• When a June 3 state inspection did not find problems, borough staff considered that perhaps sewage sludge accepted from Portage was causing a problem. Penatzer said Portage had been halting treatment eight hours before shipping the sludge to Ebensburg, and agreed to change that procedure.
In the meantime, Ebensburg imposed a moratorium on accepting sludge from Portage for two weeks. The last delivery was June 1, but another complaint was received on June 11.
Penatzer, obviously frustrated after three months of fine-tuning, told the council:
“Conditions at the plant at the time of the June 11 complaint were as good as they have ever been, before or after the upgrade project. In fact, conditions at that time were as good as they could ever be at the plant,” he said.
In a written report to council, Penatzer concluded that the encroaching development is responsible.
“Over the years, residential development has spread closer and closer to the plant. Homes in S&P Estates are now less than 1,000 feet from the plant,” he told council.
“The fact that persons choose to build homes in such close proximity to the plant cannot restrict the plant’s ability to conduct its operations, or to enlarge operations.”
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