NORTHUMBERLAND Point Township Sewer Authority board members Thursday awarded a $5.9 million general construction contract to low-bidder Doli Construction Corp., of Chalfont, for the Lithia Springs sewer extension project.

The approval is contingent on closing a $3.7 million loan with the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, known as Pennvest. In all, seven companies submitted bids for the construction contract.

The board awarded the electrical contract for the project to low-bidder K&N Electric, of Sunbury. K&Ns bid was $261,898. Three other companies bid on that contract.

The project overall is expected to cost $7.4 million, said David Brinjac, the authoritys engineer.

Before the votes, board members asked about the Doli company and its reliability. Brinjac said the company has completed similar projects, but needs to be closely monitored. He said he would do that once the project begins.

The authority has secured a $3.7 million grant for the project, the same amount as the $3.7 million loan from Pennvest. Together, Brinjac said, they will cover the cost of construction and other ancillary costs, such as legal fees and engineering fees.

The early part of Thursday nights meeting involved the signing of documents that have to be submitted to Pennvest as soon as possible.

The project involves construction of sewer lines and two pump stations and will bring about 122 homes in the Lithia Springs, Ridge Road and Bulk Road areas of Point Township into compliance with environmental standards.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed in about a year.

The homes that will be served by the new sewer lines are connected to septic tanks. The project will install a public system main line, with lateral lines connecting to the 122 homes.

Link:
$5.9M construction contract awarded for Point Twp. sewer project

Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money to flush a toilet. But thats what it can cost every home in a small town to install a community sewage system. And the price can rise to $25,000, maybe even $30,000 per home if other work needs to be done.

Alexanders town council is making a public protest against government rules that are pushing tiny towns into spending millions of dollars on sewer systems. Last week the council reviewed two proposed city ordinances in hopes of fighting back against big government and agencies like the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Alexander city councilman Tom Schear proposed two laws: Unaffordable, Unsustainable Capital Improvement Projects and Freedom From Unwarranted Financial Obligations.

Small communities all across the state -- Alexander, Goodell, Rowan and dozens of others -- are being told the residents need to spend tens of thousands of dollars per home to replace septic tanks with a community sewage treatment system.

This sewer business is gonna kill small communities, said Councilman Shear, author of the two proposed city ordinances. Its going to cost Alexander at least $1.5 million for 150 people ($10,000 per person). There are 80 utility customers in Alexander, so thats $20,000 per home, plus interest, plus maintenance.

The government promises grants, but usually they dont come through, and people have to pay off the USDA over 40 years. We are talking about folks on fixed incomes and working people who cant sustain this sort of stuff. And if you cant pay, the USDA can put a lien on your property and even garnish your wages, Shear continued.

Plus, they wont tell you that many homes will have to have bigger electrical services installed to handle the grinding pumps that are necessary for these sewer systems. The pumps are unreliable and break down all the time.

When you add it all up, these things end up costing more than a house is worth in a small town. My water bill now is $25 per month. It would go to $100 per month with a sewer system.

Look at LuVerne. Their sewer project started out at $1.9 million, and its already up to $3.1 million. Their water bills went from $40 a month to $90 a month, and now they are going even higher. Theres a town in southeast Iowa that went from 130 people to 35 people because of one of these sewer projects.

I would agree to have broken septic tanks replaced. But leave working tanks alone. Cheaper alternatives are available, Shear stated.

Read the original post:
$20,000 to flush your toilet? It could happen in rural Iowa

One of the many tasks of public health is to protect drinking water as safe water is vital not only to health but also to economic development.

The ancient Romans developed a series of aqueducts and public latrines with the intention of making sewage go away. Their technology was innovative, but not very effective. Disease from contaminated water continued to spread widely.

This idea of simply making sewage go away prevailed until the very end of the 20th century.

In the 1950s and 60s, we experienced rapid economic growth and people by the thousands wanted to move out of the city to areas where there was no public sewer system. To accommodate this urban sprawl, we installed on-site sewage disposal systems that utilized leaching trenches and dry wells that were often deep enough to contaminate the aquifer. If waste water drained away quickly, that was considered good and we had little regard for where the sewage went.

Today, we realize that we need to do what is necessary to make sewage safe before it goes away. In Ohio, statewide rules are being developed for home sewage systems. No longer will we install sewage disposal systems. The plan is to install sewage treatment systems.

The new rules are still being finalized through a collaborative effort of private industry and government, and they are expected to be finalized for 2015. Their task is to protect the water supply through use of modern technology and better-trained contractors while providing more options for the homeowner or those who wish to build new homes.

The rules will require better use of the soil above bedrock as it contains micro-organisms that digest harmful bacteria and viruses contained in raw sewage. In order to determine what technology will be installed, we expect that all new and replacement septic systems, including those with expired approvals, will require a soil evaluation by the health department or a soil scientist.

At the same time, we expect a decrease of the required depth of soil which will allow us to install mostly modern leaching trenches instead of above-ground systems called mounds. Modern leaching trenches are not as deep and will have minimum length requirements along land contours which will make it more challenging to install a replacement system. A detailed plot plan will also be required for all new and replacement systems.

We expect the encouragement of the use of green technology. Water from bathing, showering and washing clothes will be allowed to be recycled through irrigation systems. Incinerating and composting toilets may also be installed in order to reduce the volume of waste discharged into the environment.

Installers, services providers and pumpers will have to show that they are trained to work with modern technology by passing a statewide test, having certificates of training for specific systems and completing continuing education courses. They will also be more accountable by having proof of general liability insurance and a surety bond.

See the article here:
Looming new sewage regulations can improve public health

NORTHUMBERLAND Construction bids were opened Thursday afternoon for a $7.4 million Lithia Springs, Ridge Road and Bulk Road area sewer project that will involve construction of lines and two pump stations and bring about 122 homes in those areas of Point Township into compliance with environmental standards.

A portion of the construction project will be federally funded through PennVest, and about $3 million will come from grant money.

The apparent low bid for the construction contract came from Doli Construction Corp., of Pottsville, at $5,627,359. The seven bids ranged to a high of $7.1 million.

The apparent low bidder for electrical work is K&N Electric Inc., of Sunbury, with a submission of $183,498. The four bids ranged to a high of $228,000.

Contracts are expected to be awarded during next Thursdays Point Township Sewer Authority meeting. It will be held in the township building.

The other six construction bids came from Sippel Development Co. Inc., of Sewickley, $5,657,782; HRI Inc., of Williamsport, $5,699,855; MF Ronca & Sons Inc., of Harrisburg, $5,761,000; Pact Construction, of Ringoes, N.J., $5,764,915; Anrich Inc., of Wayne, $6,691,675; and Sikora Bros. Paving Inc., of Shickshinny, $7,161,675.

Other bids for the electrical contract came from HRI Inc., of Williamsport, $215,940; TRA Electric Inc., of Watsontown, $226,740; and PSI Pumping Solutions Inc., of York Springs, $228,000.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed in about a year. The homes that will be served by the new sewer lines are connected to septic tanks. The project will install a public system main line, with lateral lines connecting to the 122 homes.

Excerpt from:
7 firms vie to build $7.4M sewer project in Point Township

Like a growing number of Californians, Latino residents of East Orosi are paying for water that's not fit to drink

Tomas Ovalle

Special Report: Pollution, Poverty, People of Color Communities across the US face environmental injustices

Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the Special Report

EAST OROSI, Calif. Jessica Sanchez sits on the edge of her seat in her mothers kitchen, hands resting on her bulging belly. Eight months pregnant, shes excited about the imminent birth of her son. But shes scared too.

A few feet away, her mother, Bertha Dias, scrubs potatoes with water she bought from a vending machine. She wont use the tap water because its contaminated with nitrates.

Every day, Dias, 43, heads to the fields to pick lemons or oranges, lugging a ladder so she can reach the treetops. She often skips lunch to save money for the $17.50 she needs each week to fill jugs with vending-machine water.

Four years ago, the family learned that it had nitrates in its drinking water, which Sanchez drank as a little girl. She started speaking out about her towns toxic water when she discovered that nitrates can cause blue baby syndrome, a potentially fatal blood disorder that cuts off an infants oxygen supply.

Now it really hits me, she said, because now its my baby.

Sanchez, 18, who graduated from high school last year, lives in East Orosi, a square parcel carved out of 160 acres of land in Tulare County surrounded by orchards in the shadow of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. Fewer than 500 people, nearly all Latino, live in this long-neglected town with no sidewalks, street lights, parks or playgrounds. More than half live below the poverty level.

Read the original:
Pollution, Poverty and People of Color: Don't Drink the Water

Country Junction, a home decor and gift store on Southside Oneonta, is closing, owner Kelly Gell said Friday.

We will be open as long as we inventory, said Gell, who owns the business with her husband, Lary. The businesss candle-making operations closed in October, she said, and the decision to close the gift store was a long time coming but finalized this week and announced Friday.

The expenses of doing business, including supplies, rent and electricity, were too high to continue, she said, and customers also have been affected by the economy.

The business has existed about 15 years in various retail and wholesale modes, she said, and at the busiest time, there were 18 employees. She said she will miss her associations with suppliers, employees and customers.

I had a lot of great people to work with, Gell said. Customers who found out about the store closing after a notice was posted Friday on Facebook have expressed disappointment, she said. Readers of The Daily Star recently had voted Country Junction as the Best of the Best gift stores, she said, expressing disappointment that she wont be able to hang the plaque in the store.

Country Junction has been located at 4987 State Highway 23 at the Community Bank Plaza for almost two years after three years across the highway in Southside Mall, she said.

The store will be recognizing gift certificates and punch cards, Gell said, and she encouraged customers to stop in.

DEC: BROOKS WAS FIRST TO SUBMIT SELF AUDIT

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has reported that Brooks House of Bar-B-Q in Oneonta is the first businesses in the state to be covered under an environmental audit policy.

Brooks self-reported to authorities that it lacked the proper waste-water permit for its business, signed an environmental audit policy in January and took steps to reduce the amount of waste-water generated, a DEC media release issued this month said. Under the policy, Brooks paid $500 in back regulatory fees, committed to obtain the proper waste-water permit and to install a new waste-water treatment system by Jan. 1.

Go here to read the rest:
Country Junction in Oneonta to close

by 13News Now

WVEC.com

Posted on March 27, 2014 at 4:53 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:41 PM

YORKTOWN -- A popular shortcut has been closed in he name of progress and saving the Chesapeake Bay.

Yorktown Road is closed to through traffic between Calthrop Neck Road and Big Bethel Road near Tabb High School as crews install a sewer system.

Although residents have access to their homes, through traffic has to find an alternate route during the daytime hours.

"It's okay for me because I can go out Calthrop Neck Road. But, the buses are having to go completely around," resident Christy Wilson said.

The county is paying about $328,000 to put in a gravity sewer collection system in that area.

"The county is extending sanitary sewer to existing developed neighborhoods areas that are on septic systems. The primary focus is to help the Chesapeake Bay and the tributaries that feed the bay," said Brian Woodward, Chief of Utilities.

Originally posted here:
Yorktown Road closed to install sewer system

Warmer temperatures are certainly a welcome relief, but melting snow and spring rain can cause a whole new set of problems, including a flooded basement.

TVs home repair expert Bob Vila offers seven tips for avoiding a flooded basement, with a few comments by local basement expert Rob Kesler of Bone Dry Waterproofing in Fenton.

Keslers company provides structural repairs, using epoxy and urethane injections, as well as interior drain tile systems. If your basement is finished, you may not be able to see whats happening behind the walls, said Kesler. Your first clue for moisture may be a musty smell or any signs of water, especially between the wall and the floor.

1 Check your gutters and downspouts

Keep gutters free of debris and position downspouts away from your homes foundation. Your goal is to drain storm water at least 3 feet away, so some home-owners may have to run extensions or troughs.

2 Repair foundation cracks

Inspect exterior foundation and your basements walls and floors. Use epoxy to fill any foundation cracks and apply masonry sealer indoors, if necessary. Typically, in a poured wall, Kesler would use high pressure urethane grout injection.

If its a cinder block wall, Bone Dry Waterproofing would either do a dig out from the outside or an interior drain tile system, re-routing the water underneath the floor.

Its a very common problem, he said.

3 Make sure your sump pump is working

More:
Seven tips to avoid a flooded basement

SOUTHINGTON Worksheets and notes are now online to help people understand changes in sewer use rates that will affect 10,000 customers starting in July.

The information was posted Wednesday on the municipal website under the heading "sewer-related documents" on the "news" section.

People will find explanations on why the rate system is changing, work sheets on what it will cost to buy and install the required metering devices, how to decide if it makes sense to install a separate meter to record water used only for irrigation, and other issues.

The sewer fees, which will have a fixed facility charge and a variable component based on actual water use, will raise enough money to cover the yearly operating cost of the water treatment facility.

The budget is now $5 million. The soon-to-be-scrapped rate system is based on estimated water bills and repeatedly fails to raise sufficient funds. It would fall $250,000 short next fiscal year and more in subsequent years, if left unchanged, town officials have said.

"We had to improve the rate system," Cheryl Lounsbury, the head of the town sewer committee and the town council's vice chairperson said Tuesday evening at a sewer committee session. "If we did not, we would not be acting responsibly."

The new system will raise money by a 10 percent increase in rates and more precise quarterly billing based on actual water usage. Earlier this month, town officials said the new rate system "will capture an additional 16 percent of the required revenue, which is currently not being collected"

Residents who use private wells and private septic systems are not affected.

The annual bills for 2013-14 that residents will receive in April, May and June of this year will be based on the old system. The new rate take effect July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year when residents on public water and sewer can expect to receive quarterly bills that more accurately reflect their sewer usage.

People with questions about the new rates can also may the town sewer department at 860-276-6233.

Excerpt from:
Southington's New Sewer Fees Explained On Town Website

CBS New York (con't)

Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSNewYork.com/ACA

Health News & Information: CBSNewYork.com/Health

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) An alarming amount of pollution in Long Island waterways has prompted officials to call for major changes.

As CBS 2s Carolyn Gusoff reported Wednesday, Suffolk County officials said nitrogen pollution is ruining bays and rivers and killing sea grasses and marshes, and making Long Island more vulnerable in storms.

Scientists said the reason is nitrogen from household sewage. County executive Steve Bellone said the top priority of his administration is to stop the pollution.

The surface water effects are clear. Weve had harmful algae blooms, red tide, brown tide, closed beaches, dead rivers like the Forge River. Every surface water body in our region is listed as an impaired water body, Bellone said. We have 360,000 unsewered homes. We have more unsewered homes than the entire state of New Jersey.

Bellone has launched a plan to reverse the crisis, installing public sewers where there currently are none. The first phase of the plan is to install sewer systems under about 12,000 homes near the Forge River, the Connetquot River and the Carlls River in Deer Park and North Babylon; Oakdale; and Mastic and Shirley.

Seventy-five percent of Suffolk County homes currently use septic tanks. Environmentalists said that is antiquated.

In a civilized society in a dense community we treat our sewage before we dump it into the bay, said Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

Original post:
Suffolk County Exec Announces Plan To Install Sewers In Effort To Protect Water Supply