Credit: Chris English/NewtownPANow.com
The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority is moving forward with plans to build a new wastewater treatment plant on a recently purchased 17.5-acre property.
The land sits off Lower Silver Lake Road and University Drive near the Newtown Bypass in Newtown Township and just a few hundred feet from the Middletown Township border.
The announcement came in an October letter to authority customers that was provided by a reader to NewtownPANow.com and LevittownNow.com.
Officials assured customers that the facility “would be virtually invisible from the bypass.”
The authority, which currently serves 9,000 customers in Newtown borough and township, has not had its own treatment plant since the 1980s and has relied on the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority.
With increasing rates and the desire for local control, the authority acquired the property in August from 42 Four University LLC. The purchase price remains undisclosed as of this week in county property records.
Warren Gormley, the authority’s executive director, said last year that the authority was looking at the property where KRE Upper Macungie Associates LP had previously proposed a four-story, 245-unit apartment building.
The proposed site, which is currently undeveloped, has sparked concerns among residents about potential environmental impacts on Core Creek, into which the site drains, and other impacts to nearby residents in Newtown and Middletown townships.
Bill Everett, a resident of Middletown Township, shared concerns before the Bucks County Commissioners recently over the construction of wastewater treatment plant near the Core Creek and Lake Luxembourg in Core Creek Park.
“Make sure a detailed environmental assessment is conducted,” he said. “A mistake will have a longterm impact to Lake Luxembourg and Core Creek Park.”
The authority has met with financial institutions to discuss funding for the construction of the plant in recent months, according to public meeting minutes.
Also in the letter, the authority announced a rate increase effective January, with quarterly rates rising from $82 to $120.54 for the 10,000-gallon minimum.
The system is presently a wholesale customer of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, which has been raising rates to fund infrastructure projects.
The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority is taking on a $60 million upgrade to the Neshaminy Interceptor that runs through Lower Bucks County, including the Newtown area, and sends wastewater to Philadelphia to be treated by the Philadelphia Water Department.
The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority previously explored a new plant off the Newtown Bypass near the George School property and the Crown Pointe neighborhood, but that effort didn’t move forward in 2013. There were concerns about any smell from the plant and the cost to stifle any odors. A Patch.com article from the time said the project was projected to cost $68 million
Advertisement
Convenient Legal Access to High Quality Cannabis Just A Few Minutes Away!
