ON TIME & UNDER BUDGET:
The Saxonburg Area Treatment Plant Expansion Nears Completion
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The Saxonburg Area Authority’s $52.5 million sewage treatment expansion project is still on schedule, nine months from completion and staying under budget.

Paul Cornetti, authority engineer, said last week the work done so far is $600,000 below budget.  The savings have come from design changes such as realigning a sewer line, he said.

The project will add about 1,850 new customers in Penn and Middlesex Townships to the existing 1,125 customers in Saxonburg, Jefferson Township, and Clinton Township.

Cornetti said normally large construction projects run about 10 percent above budget by this point.

While pleased with the savings so far, Cornetti is cautious about staying under budget.  He said it could just take one major, unforeseen problem to have a $500,000 increase.

However, there are no indications of any such problems with the project that is 35 percent to 40 percent completed.

Cornetti attributed the cost savings, which continue to mount, and absence of delays to the contractors working on the project.

“It’s wonderful so far,” he said.  “They’re pointing out things to reduce costs.”

Cornetti also credited the engineering firms HRG and Olsen & Associates, which oversee construction, with finding ways to save money.

Currently, contractors are laying pipe along roads, including Route 8, where some stretches already are restored with new grass growing.

Crews are also building pump stations off roads, including Renfrew, Davis, and McFann roads.  Pump stations are needed in areas where sewage has to be sent uphill.

Work continues at the site of the new $10 million sewage treatment plant at the corner of Renfrew and Hicks roads.

A large concrete tank with two smaller ones behind already exist at the site.

The large structure is called an oxidation ditch, which has three concentric rings.  Behind the ditch are two settling tanks, or clarifiers.

Once the new plant is operational, the incoming sewage will be lifted into it by a pump station.  The sewage then goes through a screen, which filters out inorganic material, such as plastic.

The next step is for the sewage to go into the oxidation ditch, where different microscopic organisms break down carbon-based material.

[HRG's project manager] said each ring of ditch contains different oxygen concentrations which promote the growth of organisms that remove particular types of pollutants.

“Essentially, they’re breeding grounds,” he said about the rings.

The settling tanks provide extra capacity for the treated sewage, which enters them by gravity flow.

After being treated in the oxidation ditch for an average period of 15 to 30 days, the sewage moves to the sludge holding tanks, where it’s broken down further over another 30 to 60 days.

The treated material is then dried out and eventually hauled to a landfill.

“It’s almost like dirt,” [HRG] said.

The separated liquid will then be disinfected by ultraviolet light.  Other treatment facilities often use chlorine for the same purpose.

The clean water will then be discharged into the Connoquenessing Creek.

The current treatment plant, which is on Dinnerbell Road in Jefferson Township, uses another treatment process with rectangular tanks.

[HRG] said the nearest facility that is similar to the one being built in Penn Township is 60 miles away in eastern Ohio.

As with any large construction project stretching across municipal boundaries and more than 100 streets, there are some unhappy residents.

In addition to not wanting to hook up to the newly expanded sanitary system in the first place, residents also complain about where connections to the main line are made.

The farther the connection is done from a building, the greater the cost to the owner.  While the actual tap-in fee for new customers is the same – $6,000 – the line extension from a building varies by length and cost.

The authority often sets the tap-in farther than an owner might like.  Cornetti said the main goal in designing where the main line extends is what saves the most money to the overall project.

Although some residents might face a higher line extension cost as a result, they would have to pay a higher tap-in fee otherwise, he said.

If the overall project cost would rise, that increase would be shared by all new customers in the form of a higher tap-in fee.

As far as complaints about the forced hookups, a number of the new customers have failing septic systems that need addressed anyway.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has identified areas in Penn and Middlesex with malfunctioning septic systems.

[HRG] said some of the worst locations include Renfrew Road in Penn Township along with Denny and Dwellington roads in Middlesex.

The DEP lists Middlesex as having 29 percent of its on-lot septic systems failing, with 22 percent in Penn Township.

Penn and Middlesex are using grant money to help pay for residents’ tap-in fees.

Along with securing state loans and keeping tap-in fees and monthly rates down, engineers and officials see another benefit to including owners of on-lot systems who are not violating DEP regulations.

[HRG] said it’s preventive medicine.

“Every on-lot system will eventually fail,” he said.

However, owners can stretch their septic systems’ lives.  Tarbell said they can last a long time if situated in the right spot, properly maintained and periodically pumped.

Now that construction is under way, a more recent concern by affected residents is property restoration.  Each contractor is required to restore every property to its original state.

A temporary fix immediately is done following a line installation along a street, with a permanent restoration to follow with a couple of months.

This article was written by Tom Victoria and appeared in the July 26, 2006, edition of the Butler Eagle, a family-owned newspaper that serves the Butler County, PA region.

For questions about HRG's work on this project or our water and energy services, you can contact Rick Barnett at (724) 779-4777.

© 2008 Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc.