What Delmont Borough’s Statement of April 10 Means for Delmont Borough Residents and Delmont Sewer Rate Payers

Delmont Borough’s Intent

All you need to know about Delmont Borough council’s intent with regard to the Borough’s sewer system is contained at the end of the third-to-last bullet point of its April 10 statement:

“Going forward, Delmont Borough will be working with the Department [that is, the PA DEP], Salem Township, Borough Residents, Delmont Sewer Rate payers and affected property owners to achieve the least costly solution to the benefit of everyone.” [emphasis added]

Least costly for whom?

The Borough’s true intent is to continue to force other people—Salem Township property owners (through the confiscation of yet more of their private property), Delmont Sewer rate payers (through a series of rate increases over many years—think MAWC), Pennsylvania tax payers (through grant monies and other assistance), and law abiding Delmont Borough residents (through both rate increases and state tax dollars)—to subsidize Delmont Borough property owners with illegal connections that allow storm water to enter into and swamp the Borough’s sewer system.

If the Borough was truly invested in fiscal responsibility with regard to its tax paying and rate paying constituency it would address certain issues within the Borough first and observe the results of that activity before it determines to spend substantial funds it doesn’t have on infrastructure it doesn’t necessarily need.

During periods of dry weather, the Borough’s sewer system adequately contains its sewage for transport to FTMSA in Murrysville for treatment. During periods of wet weather, the sewer system manholes begin to discharge almost immediately, supporting the contention that there is significant inflow of storm water into the system originating in the Borough.

Borough council members, and the Borough’s engineers, have stated ad nauseum that they continue to “chase down” the inflow of storm water into the system within the Borough. Kevin Brett of Lennon Smith Souleret Engineering declared at the October 30, 2017, Borough budget workshop that they “are better than just about anyone” at finding these inflows.

LSSE has been at it an awfully long time for these issues not to have been addressed long ago. Either the LSSE engineers are not up to the challenge, or the locations of illegal connections have long ago been identified and the Borough does not want them documented.

In the midst of a spitting match with Salem Township back in 2002, Delmont Borough denied via statements published in the Trib that there was storm water inflow into the system originating in the Borough:

Imagine how very different matters would be now had the Borough addressed the inflows back in 2002.

The Borough comprises a mere 1.1 square miles. It stands to reason that after all this time the Borough absolutely knows where most, if not all, of the illegal connections to the system are located.

The Borough has, in fact, mandated that corrective action be taken by some residents.

Some. Not all.

Certain residents with illegal connections have been and continue to be given “a pass” with regard to their illegal connections. We know this because Borough personnel themselves have so stated or implied “off the record.”

So:

What the Borough intends to do is create huge financial burdens to be carried on the backs of ALL Delmont Borough residents to the benefit of SOME, before first determining if measures can be taken that are less costly to the Borough’s constituency:

Through Delmont Borough’s statement of April 10 the Borough indicates it has plans to construct a Sewage Interceptor. A sewage interceptor is essentially a containment facility, the purpose of which is to hold excess sewage back on a temporary basis until such time as it can gradually and safely be released into the sanitary sewer system for transport to the treatment facility.

The proposed Sewage Interceptor—with all of its attendant legal, engineering and construction costs—would not be required at all if the Borough would simply demand that property owners with illegal storm water connections take corrective action. Delmont Borough’s current sewage conveyance system—as is—actually has excess capacity during times of dry weather.

The mysterious DEP Consent Order to which Borough officials often refer is sure to be an interesting read. Considering that (if we take members of council, solicitor Mr. Hewitt, and the engineers of LSSE at their word) the Borough does not yet have a Consent Order in hand, the Borough’s April 10 statement is oddly specific as to the types of legal and engineering services it intends to contract for with regard to these matters.

Also odd is that Delmont Borough officials met on Thursday, April 12, with Salem Township officials on these matters—two days after the Borough’s April 10 statement was issued.

All this without a Consent Order in hand.

We will be interested to learn the specifics of the yet-to-be-released DEP Consent Order, whether multiple options and plans and their associated price tags have been considered, and whether the DEP has performed proper due diligence ahead of issuing the Consent Order.