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Sewer Expansion
Proposal in Southern Chester County May Feed Sprawl &
Lead to Accelerated Loss of Farm Land & Open Space...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD RE: SEWER EXPANSION
S.A.V.E. was founded in 1997 arising from concern regarding
infrastructure expansion which catalyzes sprawl - at that time roadway
"improvements" proposed for Route 41. That same concern is now
extrapolated to another type of infrastructure build out that may
accelerate the loss of open space and agriculture - in this case, an
Act 537 proposal for sewer expansion in southern Chester County.
Particularly if you live in Oxford Borough, East Nottingham Township,
Lower Oxford Township, West Nottingham Township, or the Octorara or
Elk Creek watersheds, S.A.V.E. encourages you to learn more and submit
comments prior to the 5/18/07 deadline as described below.
An informational meeting will be held Wednesday, May 9th at 7 p.m. at
the West Nottingham Township Building, 100 Park Road.
MORE FROM THE PUBLIC NOTICE:
OXFORD AREA SEWER AUTHORITY ACT 537 REGIONAL SEWAGE FACILITIES PLAN
The Oxford Area Sewer Authority, together with its member
municipalities of Oxford Borough, East Nottingham Township, Lower
Oxford Township and West Nottingham Township, has announced a public
comment period for the Act 537 Regional Sewage Facilities Plan for the
Authority and its member municipalities. Members of the public may
submit written comments on the Plan to the attention of:
Mr. Edward A Lennex Oxford Area Sewer Authority P.O. BOX 379 OXFORD PA
19363
Please also cc:
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
South East Regional Office 2 East Main Street Norristown, PA 19401. The public comment period closes May 18, 2007.
A copy of the full text of the Act 537 Regional Sewage Facilities Plan
may be examined by any citizen at the office of the Oxford Area Sewer
Authority, 863 West Locust Street, Oxford, Pennsylvania, 19363, Monday
through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon: the Oxford
Public Library, 48 Second Street, Oxford, Pennsylvania 19363, during
the Library's normal operating hours, or at the offices of the
following member municipalities of the Oxford Area Sewer Authority:
(a) West Nottingham Township, 100 Park Road, Nottingham, Pennsylvania,
Monday and Wednesday between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and
on Wednesday between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 pm: (b) East
Nottingham Township, 158 Election Road, Oxford, Pennsylvania, Monday
through Friday, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.: (c)
Lower Oxford Township, 220 Township Road, Oxford, Pennsylvania, Monday
through Friday, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon: (d)
Borough of Oxford, 401 Market Street, Oxford, Pennsylvania, Monday
through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The public comment period is part of the required process that must be
followed prior to finalizing the Plan for submittal to the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The Pennsylvania
Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537) requires every municipality to prepare
and maintain an up-to-date plan to assess the municipality's needs for
wastewater collection, conveyance, and treatment facilities; to
evaluate alternatives to meet the future demands; and to develop a
financial and administrative plan to implement the necessary
improvements. The Oxford Area Sewer Authority, Borough of Oxford, East
Nottingham Township, Lower Oxford Township, and West Nottingham
Township officials intend to adopt
this plan to serve as the
Official Regional Sewage Facilities Plan update. This
plan has been prepared in
accordance with Act 537 as described in the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection's 'A Guide for Preparing Act 537 Update
Revisions,' dated January 7, 2003. The Oxford Area Sewer Authority's
Act 537 Regional Sewage Facilities Plan covers a planning area of 54
square miles that encompasses the municipal boundaries of Oxford
Borough, East Nottingham Township, Lower Oxford Township and West
Nottingham Township. The Act 537 Plan consists of two major elements
that are generally referred to as the 'Needs Analysis' and the
Facilities Evaluation'. Each municipality prepared the Needs Analysis
portion of the Plan represented by the information contained in
Appendix A and incorporated in Sections I - IV. The Facilities
Evaluation portion of the Plan compared the Needs Analysis data to the
existing Waste Water Treatment Facilities capacities and evaluates
alternatives to provide wastewater collection, conveyance, and
treatment services to meet future demands of the Authority's service
area. Alternative sewer system routes were analyzed to determine the
most cost effective means to provide service to areas outside the
current sewered area. The financial options regarding sewer extensions
are limited to developer funded or municipal funded options. The Plan
includes an evaluation of alternatives to meet the projected
wastewater flows of the service area, including expansion of the
existing storage lagoons and spray fields to meet DEP's criteria for
100% spray irrigation. The plan outlines options for the individual
municipalities regarding monitoring and/or management of On-Lot
Disposal Systems in an effort to address the septage disposal needs of
the Authority's service area. In addition, the Facilities Evaluation
portion of the Plan outlines financial and administrative issues that
are required to implement the recommended alternatives. A key part of
the Septage Management Program is the recommended Public Education
Program designed to inform the public of the critical issues in owning
and operating OLDS and the public health and environmental impact of
OLDS failures. The recommended wastewater treatment facility
improvements will be implemented following a four (4)-stage program
that will increase the treatment and disposal facilities of the
Authority from the current 0.6 MGD rating to a 1.72 MGD rating. The
program includes the construction of a new 1.72 treatment plant; the
addition of new spray and drip irrigation disposal fields; and, the
construction of storage lagoons and tanks to accommodate the new
treatment plant capacity.
A non-profit community organization, S.A.V.E. aims to improve the
safety of area roads while maximizing conservation potential and
minimizing environmental impacts from transportation projects
throughout the southern Chester County region. S.A.V.E. advocates for
balanced transportation and land use planning and the preservation of
the unique natural and historic resources in the area including farm
lands, watersheds and open space.
Visit the
S.A.V.E. website.
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