The following is text from a letter, dated July 13, from the Clearfield Municipal Authority to the Lawrence Township Supervisors.
Since the CMA meeting of July 17 lacked a quorum, the board approved the letter at the July 24 meeting to be sent and provided copies to the media, requesting publication for public information.
Board members stated the information is verifiable via public records.
The letter reads:
Gentlemen,
The Clearfield Municipal Authority wishes to address several matters arising from statements made at recent meetings of the Lawrence Township Supervisors, which are factually incorrect, and which have presented a misleading impression of the current situation.
First of all, the authority does not operate a 10-inch sewer line through the borough as alleged. The smallest section of line in operation below Lift Station 2 is 15 inches in diameter with all other lines being 18 inches in diameter before transitioning to a 24-inch line in the downtown area.
These lines are more than adequate to carry flow from Lift Station 2 at its designed capacity, which is well above the average daily flow from the Hyde area.
Further, the authority has undertaken several projects over the years to repair and replace lines as needed. We are currently in the process of a system-wide improvement project that will identify areas for replacement, repair or rehabilitation. We continue to inspect and monitor our interceptors.
The authority does not back up sewerage from the treatment plant to the area of Lift Station 1. A SSO [sanitary sewer overflow] at Lift Station 1 is operated to handle all excess flows from a storm event that the lift station cannot convey to the treatment plant. The plant as designed and as in operation can handle all flow which passes through Lift Station 1.
The authority recognizes the efforts made by Lawrence Township to close the SSO; however, we note that under the corrective action plan, the township was to complete wet weather inspections of the Hyde drainage area by June 1, 2017.
Thereafter, the township, along with its engineer, was to conduct closed circuit television inspections of all laterals found to be contributing to the I&I [inflow and infiltration] and compile a list of all outstanding violations by Dec. 30, 2017.
The township was to send corrective action letters by certified mail to property owners so that violations could be addressed by the Sept. 1, 2018 deadline.
To date, the inspections and camera work have not been completed. The Sept. 1, 2018 deadline is obviously a matter of serious concern and it fast approaching. DEP has made it eminently clear that no extensions will be granted.
With that deadline is the reality of drastic fines being imposed on the authority when rain events require the opening of the SSO and discharge into the river.
Four years ago, the board of supervisors explicitly acknowledged that these events were largely the result of the township’s failure to remove enough I&I and agreed to accept the bulk of the fines imposed.
Now, with greater and more punitive fines looming, it is clear that the township continues to be the responsible party as its system remains the source of the problem.
Making factually inaccurate public statements about the size of the authority’s lines does nothing to resolve the problem and creates misunderstanding and public confusion about a very real problem that confronts all concerned. The authority does not intend to accept the burden of the potential fines.
Sincerely,
Clearfield Municipal Authority