May 15, 2002 By Steve Ostrosky 3 min read

MASONTOWN – A letter of violation from the state Department of Environmental Protection last fall about backwash problems at the borough’s water plant will require construction of a 50,000-gallon tank to correct the problem, the borough’s engineer told council Tuesday. Backwash occurs when stormwater enters the water lines and cannot be treated because of water volumes. The untreated water is being discharged into the streams, which prompted the DEP notice.

Russ Mechling of Fayette Engineering told council that he hoped the problem would be corrected by including tank construction in the ongoing PENNVEST project on borough sewer lines and the sewage treatment plant, but was told the funding would have to come from another source because the funds from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority are to be used exclusively for the sewerage project.

He said the additional tank is the only way to capture the excess water, so it can be pumped or flowed to the new storage tanks under construction at the sewage plant. Costs of the tank are still being explored, Mechling said, but he said that he told DEP the new tank would be operational by the end of this year.

When questioned by council whether that deadline could be met, he said a tank builder is already on site and Mechling is looking into whether the builder can be used for the extra tank.

“I think we will make (the deadline),” he said.

In other business, Police Chief Richard Barron asked motorists for patience as pieces of the Duke Energy power station are transported from the railroad tracks onto Route 21 to the plant site. He said the traffic backups along Route 21 are “enormous” as the heavy loads make their way from Mount Sterling to the plant site.

Barron estimated that delays run from 25 to 30 minutes when equipment is being moved, and delays also are common when Duke Energy employees leave work for the day, usually around 5 p.m. He encouraged drivers to be careful and to allot some extra driving time while the plant construction continues.

He also encouraged council members to sign the contract presented to them by Noah’s Ark of Fayette County Humane & Animal Protection Society to take over the duties formerly handled by the Fayette County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which closed its shelter earlier this month.

Barron said he has received many reports of dogs running loose in the borough and the police department has no means to handle stray animals.

Later in their meeting, council voted to accept the Noah’s Ark contract, effective May 20, in which the borough will pay $179.41 a month for the society’s services.

Council also conducted the following business:

– Hired Polly Finnell of Lemont Furnace as a part-time office clerk, starting on or about May 20.

– Voted to advertise proposed amendments to the water/sewer tap-in rates, which are now $350.

– Appointed Carl Donai to fill a vacant seat on the recreation board.