Shenandoah Sewer Authority reorganizes, provides update on new sewer plant
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL FILE PHOTO - The Shenandoah sewer plant on August 1, 2018.
SHENANDOAH – The Shenandoah Sewer Authority elected a new chairman and provided an update on the planned replacement of the sewer treatment plant at Wednesday’s meeting.
Charles Lawson was elected chair of the board, replacing Andrew J. Szczyglak, who was elected secretary.
Ron Luscavage was retained as vice chair, and Bob Mychak was named vice chair pro tempore.
The board also retained their solicitor and engineering firm, Bill Burke and Alfred Benesch & Co.
Benesch engineer Chris McCoach provided an update on the replacement of the sewer plant near William Penn.
“Everything is still moving along there,” McCoach told the board. He also explained why a half-page ad regarding the project appeared in the Pottsville Republican last week. The ad was required by the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, who provided the grant and loan which made the project possible, because the facility is located in the Shenandoah Creek’s floodplain.
“We had to run it for three days,” McCoach said. “When we first started designing the project, the location was not in FEMA’s floodplain. Floodplain is an imaginary line on a map. During that design process, FEMA had changed their floodplain to relocate that line which now put our project in the middle of it.”
“Because we were now in the floodplain, we had to do certain things to meet their requirements,” McCoach added. “We were already a step ahead of the game because we already have the permits in place to build there from DEP and from the Army Corps of Engineers.”
McCoach said the requirements don’t change anything about the project, but the ad gives the public a chance to comment.
According to the ad, published on Page A10 of Friday, Jan. 27’s Pottsville Republican, the project will build a new sewer treatment plant at the current site and demolish portions of the existing plant.
“If implemented, the proposed project will convert Critical Action Floodplain – which refers to an action for which even the slight chance of flooding is too great because it might result in the loss of life, injury to persons, or damage to property. A critical action includes but is not limited to actions that create or extend the useful life of structures or facilities,” the ad reads. “The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of this proposed conversion or effect and request comments concerning the proposal, alternative sites or actions that would avoid these impacts, and methods that could be used to minimize these impacts.”
Public comment is being accepted until Feb. 8 through Sean McElroy, Area Specialist, at [email protected] or 717-376-3499.
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