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Department of Environmental Protection and Allegheny County Health Department Mandate Unfunded Upgrades to Local Sewer Systems
Department of Environmental Protection and Allegheny County Health Department Mandate Unfunded Upgrades to Local Sewer SystemsFor over 40 years, the Borough of Jefferson Hills has owned and operated a sanitary sewer system which includes 63 miles of sanitary sewers that drain from your home or business into one of three municipal sewersheds. Depending on where you live, the sewage drains into either the Clairton Municipal Authority, West Elizabeth Sewer Authority or Pleasant Hills Authority.

The Borough of Jefferson Hills has worked diligently over the years on maintenance of the sewers, spending an average of $650,000 annually to inspect, maintain and repair the sewer system. The Borough partners with the South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG) on the general sewer maintenance bidding process, which saves the Borough money each year.

Some of the upcoming DEP mandated projects are:

The Clairton sewershed is required to expand and upgrade its wastewater treatment plant which serves 3,253 Jefferson Hills customers at a cost of $40 million. The Borough’s portion is one-third of the cost of this project at $13.3 million. In addition, the Borough is mandated by the  DEP and the Allegheny County Health Department to eliminate the failing on-lot systems on Coal Valley Road. The estimated cost for this project will be $4 million.

The West Elizabeth sewershed, which serves 680 customers, is required to construct a new and larger wastewater treatment plant. In addition, the Borough is being mandated by the DEP to install a new pump station and equalization tank on Rt. 837. The total cost of these project will be $5 million. The Borough’s portion will be $3.8 million.

The Borough will keep our residents informed as plans for the DEP mandates go forward and rate increases are necessary to upgrade our sewer system. Gateway Engineers has compiled a more comprehensive report on this topic. See the Attachment below.
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Sanitary Sewer Article