“City flushes sewage into river” describes how century old collector lines carry both sanitary sewer and and storm water, thus overwhelming the sewage treatment plant during rainfalls. This results in highly diluted raw sewage discharging into the Conestoga River and, from there, on to the Chesapeake Bay.
A combination of corrective measures are described, including the possibility of a $70 million massive 10,000-gallon storage tank to retain the water until it can be processed in a normal manner.
According to Charlotte Katzenmoyer, Public Works Director, “It’s going to be a holistic approach” to mitigate the situation.
WATCHDOG: A wag of the tail! This is a well researched, balanced discussion of a major problem that will require considerable expenditures of tax dollars over future decades and will result in higher sewer and water bills.
While attention is now focused on how to reduce storm water runoff, the ultimate solution may be the treatment of sanitary sewer in homes and public facilities as technology advances. On-site water treatment is further advanced in Europe than in the USA.
In the long run, it may prove easier to dispose of sewage than storm water!
