The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority presented plans for a new wastewater treatment plant at Wednesday evening’s Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting.
The authority has purchased a 17.5-acre property that 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 facility is being proposed to address capacity issues and give the community more control over its wastewater treatment, officials said.
The new plant has a $128 million dollar planned price tag, with the land deal costing $9 million.
Jerry Schenkman, vice chair of the sewer authority, explained the project’s importance while acknowledging its scale.
“This is a big project, there’s no question about how much money it’s going to cost,” Schenkman said. “We hope that we are invited back on several occasions to update you on where we’re at with this project.”
The authority is considering a 2.5 million gallon per day plant using Aqua Nereda technology. The treated wastewater could be discharged into the Core Creek or Neshaminy Creek.
Engineer Terry Funk, who is working with the authority, said the project could lead to long-term cost savings compared to staying with the current regional system run by the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority.
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 system has capacity limits for development until the upgrade is completed.
Funk said of the Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority pays $3.7 million of its $5.3 million budget yearly to the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority for use of their wastewater treatment system. The costs from the county authority have increased.
“Because of managing your own operational costs, long term, the crossover with Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority occurs almost in year about five, where we would project Bucks County rates to be significantly higher than those if the authority were to own and operate its own plant,” Funk explained.
The Newtown-area authority has had inquiries from operators of nearby wastewater systems about potentially buying capacity at the plant, Funk said.
The authority indicated they are in the early stages of design and environmental assessments.
“The regulatory process has strong oversight on environmental impacts,” Funk said. “Wetlands, potentially endangered species, sensitive habitats at the site would all have to be reviewed and addressed.”
The authority plans to hold public information sessions as the project progresses. No formal action was taken by the supervisors at the meeting.
The sewer authority indicated they will return to update the supervisors as the project develops.
Residents raised concerns about the plant’s proximity to homes, businesses, and community spaces.
Gary Sondermeyer, a 40-year resident of Middletown Township and a longtime environmental permitting official in New Jersey, presented a map showing potential impacts, including odor, within a 1.5-mile radius.
“We have estimated about 1,882 homes within a mile and about a population of 5,000,” Sondermeyer said. He noted sensitive locations nearby, including daycare centers, churches, and recreational facilities.
In Sondermeyer’s comments to the supervisors, he raised his concerns about future costs for the authority.
“We’re going to be monitoring every phase of the project,” said Sondermeyer.
Odor was a concern for several speakers at public comment, but Funk said modern technology would practically eliminate it outside of the facility, citing a plant in the midwest that is of a similar design.
Peter Jordan, a Middletown Township resident with years of experience in chemical dispersion modeling, challenged claims of odor-free operation.
“With an equivalent technology you’re one pump failure away from gassing away the neighborhood,” Jordan warned, citing a similar project in Kansas.
On Monday, Dec. 16, the authority will present their plans before the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors at 7 p.m. for informational purposes.
Advertisement
12 Days of Canna Cheer
