the view from my window...

  This is in response to Delmont Borough council member Bill Marx’s letter to the editor (“Elected officials should follow safety measures”) published in the December 14, 2020 issue of the  Delmont Salem News  in which he castigates his fellow council members for not wearing masks at their December council meeting, which Mr. Marx attended remotely. Quoting Mr. Marx : “If our own local municipal officials can flout the law without consequence, why should we expect our average resident to obey any of our ordinances or adhere to our local codes when it inconveniences them? Apparently, 'because I don’t like it’ is justification enough to ignore public health standards and lawful orders to the detriment of the community .”   (emphasis added) I remind Mr. Marx that in his role as a member of Borough council he himself has been party to the blatant “flouting” by the Borough of both the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law and the federal Clean Water Act in the Borough’s active discharges

“Please be advised that there is no coverage available to our insured  in this matter.”   [ Note: A quick re-read of our post of April 24 ⎼ titled “Is Delmont Borough Insured?” — will be helpful to your understanding here .] Here is an approximate timeline with regard to the insurance claim submitted by Delmont Borough solicitor  Daniel J. Hewitt (McDonald Snyder, P.C, Latrobe, PA )   relevant to damages perpetrated by the Borough to our properties in Salem Township through excessive storm water runoff and discharges of untreated sewage on a nearly unabated basis the week of February 16 ⎼ 25, 2018: Tuesday, March 13 - We made a presentation to Borough council of photos of sewage discharges onto our property and into Beaver Run as specifically documented on February 16, February 19, February 22, and February 25, and of photos taken on March 4 documenting the "aftermath" of those discharges. The white debris documented in that set of photos is pulverized used to

Billboard posted along Route 66 South in Delmont Borough, PA, in May of 2017. (Photo by Molly Duerig/PublicSource) More than a year later, nothing has changed. In spite of our best efforts, Delmont Borough Council cannot be encouraged, or inspired, or emboldened, or roused,  or cajoled,   or incited, or provoked, or goaded, or embarrassed, or ridiculed into taking appropriate action to mitigate the causal factors behind its habitual discharges of raw sewage into Beaver Run: the illegal connections to the sewer system of certain property owners within the Borough that result in significant storm water inflows that swamp the system. Delmont Borough is a community that intentionally and routinely discharges its untreated human waste into its own drinking water source. (Turn up the volume!)

Latrobe’s GOAL Magazine featured a photo of our farm in its Spring 2018 issue as part of an article about a donor’s legacy gift of gas and mineral rights to Salem Lutheran Church in Delmont.  Just beyond the pond you see at center, over the rise and down to the left, is the site of Delmont Borough’s illegal discharges of untreated human waste into Beaver Run. OUR legacy - the duty and responsibility we feel in response to our thankfulness and appreciation for what has been entrusted to us - is to protect  the natural habitats that serve countless varieties of birds, fish and wildlife  and to preserve the beauty of the wonders that surround us. photo source:  GOAL Magazine’s Facebook page Note that t his "neighborhood road" is actually located in Salem Township just beyond the Delmont Borough border.  

This article (below), posted to Triblive.com  yesterday afternoon, accurately depicts the goings-on of yesterday morning with regard to these matters. [We have provided a link to the published article and also present it in its entirety below.] Ed Rebitch has on numerous occasions requested a round-table discussion among all parties -  Delmont Borough, Salem Township, the PA DEP, State Representative Eric Nelson, and State Senator Kim Ward, together with representatives of Rock Springs Trust in Salem Township -  to resolve issues attendant to Delmont Borough's intentional discharges of untreated human waste onto property owned by the Trust and into Beaver Run. All of these parties met yesterday morning behind closed doors to the specific exclusion of the property owners - impacted stakeholders with a clear interest in the proceedings and first-hand knowledge about the impact of these activities upon the subject property and to Beaver Run. Ed and the Trustee for Rock Springs

This item was posted to MAWC's Facebook page on May 2, 2018:   Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County May 6-12 is National Drinking Water Week. We depend on our drinking water supply daily – but where does that water come from? The MAWC encourages you to get to know your local water source, so together, we can protect and preserve it. The investments we make as a community to protect our water source now ensure we have a sustainable drinking water supply for the future. Visit MAWC.org and DrinkTap.org to learn more. Yes. Let us all get to know our local water source so that, together, we can protect and preserve it.  Except Delmont Borough. Beaver Run IS the local water source. Don't be Delmont Borough.