Antrim Township sewer plant may need expansion

GREENCASTLE, Pa. — An upgrade might not be enough for Antrim Township’s wastewater treatment plant.

With consistent precipitation and a growing township, Public Works Director Roger Nowell said the facility might instead need expansion. Nowell recently told the board of supervisors that he was ready to pitch the idea to the Antrim Township Municipal Authority, which meets Monday.

“Given recent plant performance, as related to constant precipitation ... and potential for growth in the township, I’m going to be recommending to the ATMA a full plant expansion for the project,” Nowell said.

ATMA has been working on the design of a plant upgrade, which carries a potential $8 million price. The plant was originally constructed in 1978, and there were major modifications in 1998 and an upgrade in 2015.

The plant has been under a corrective action plan with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection with limits on how many new connections can be made to the system each year. Officials have said the plant is holding its own in meeting state standards, but an upgrade is necessary.

A 1999 UV system at the plant was recently upgraded at a cost of $1.3 million. Nowell said it is performing well. The rest of the plant, however, is reaching its 20-year life expectancy from the 1998 upgrade.

Chad Murray, a supervisor who also serves on the ATMA, is not surprised by Nowell’s latest assessment.

“It would provide more capacity, but also provide the ability to treat current loads that are coming through not just from sewer, but from infiltration and storm water, which is where our real issues are at this point,” Murray said.

“It would allow us to have longer retention times for the water to flow. If we kept current levels because of the rain, we could get over our nitrogen limits. That would cause fines and potentially puts us back into a corrective action plan and limits any new connections that we would have.”

Nowell is closely watching nitrogen levels after some concerning numbers during the past three months. The nitrogen year runs through September.

“We did really well January through October, even though we had extra water with the precipitation, but you can only hold your own for so long,” Nowell said.

“The last few months aren’t giving a very good forecast for the year. Given that and growth is why I’m pushing for the plant expansion rather than a plant upgrade.”

Murray said the potential for township growth would be a whole new issue in the discussion, and until he sees possible costs, he can’t say if expansion is the way to go.

“I’m in favor of being able to treat everything that we have coming through,” Murray said.

“With the target constantly moving to make more stringent limits, current treatment levels are not going to cut it without any more flow coming through.”