CLEARFIELD – The first steps towards bringing water to sections of the Glen Richey Highway, Carbon Mine Road, Clover Hill Road and Krebs Highway were confirmed during yesterday’s Clearfield Municipal Authority Meeting.
Engineer Jim Balliet of Gwin, Dobson and Foreman Inc. reported the state Department of Environmental Protection approved grant funds for design and permitting of the project consisting of three connection points to the authority’s system, a water pumping station, a storage tank, pressure reducing stations and approximately 75,000 linear feet of water mains.
GD&F will complete the survey and then begin the design of the system extension. The grant is for $400,000.
“I think it’s a go,” said Chairman Russ Triponey about the project, adding that they hope to have grant money for construction soon, as well. He said the authority is very thankful for the efforts of State Rep. Tommy Sankey’s Clearfield Office, especially Bill Armstrong.
The authority approved signing the agreements with DEP and GD&F to move forward with design and permitting.
Balliet also reported that Insight Pipe has begun cleaning and televising of the interceptor sewers. He said there will be a meeting with himself, Manager John Williams and anyone from the board who wishes to attend and DEP regarding the Sanitary Sewer and Combined Sewer Overflows in the borough and township.
The meeting will be held March 3 in Williamsport. He said they hope to get an extension on getting both the SSO in Hyde and the CSO near CVS in Clearfield closed. The Hyde SSO was to be closed by the end of June.
Balliet explained that if they completely close both at this point, while the new sewer plant can handle the flow, the pipes cannot. The borough and township have been working to reduce infiltration into the system, but the authority may have to take additional steps and need more time.
DEP is under pressure from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency to get these issues resolved, but since CMA, the borough and township have been working on the problems, DEP may take that into account.
The authority listened to concerns from a new resident to the borough who said he hasn’t used 1,000 gallons of water in the few months he has lived here and said his bills are too high.
Williams explained to him and the board that the first and last bills, which are partial bills, are pro-rated and he said the old system of doing this will probably be changed with the installation of the new meters and reading system.
He noted that the minimum charges the resident is facing are to cover debt service and there isn’t anything they can do about that, but he and the office staff are looking at the charges for the partial billing.
