Haverford Approves Sewer Tank

Eight out of nine Haverford Township Board of Commissioners approved the $2 million controversial underground sewer storage tank at Monday night’s meeting.

Radnor Haverford Marple (RHM) Sewer Authority won a long, and often times heated, battle by having a 1.5-million gallon underground sanitary sewer storage tank placed where the volleyball courts are located now at and would be flush to the ground.

The sewer storage tank would handle the two to four yearly overflow problems, where heavy rains overflow the sewer and brings up waste to the surface.

Before the vote took place, township Vice President and 1st Ward Commissioner Steve D'Emilio, who did not vote in favor of the odor-controlled tank, said he has not seen a study of the cost of installing a parallel interceptor sewer line—an alternative solution—or how long it would take to be put in.

, RHM’s engineering consultant Fred Williams told the Haverford-Havertown Patch that to install a parallel interceptor sewer line, it would cost $20 million just to have an engineering study and the actual construction would be between $40 million to $60 million.

Reading an article from the News of Delaware County printed on March 5 of this year, D'Emilio explained to the commissioners that according to the article that the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) stated that it has not seen a design for the holding tank or a proposal for it.

“However, I can tell you that the approval of such tanks is not routine and their occasional use is considered to be an interim measure, which would only be approved by the department in conjunction with a sound, comprehensive program to address the cause of flows that exceed the capacity of the sewer system,” D’Emilio quoted the DEP as saying from the article.

“There is no way I would vote for this based on what was stated here and what I have reviewed on notes of testimony,” he said once he finished quoting an article. “Once we (approve this) do this, we own the problem.”

During an open forum, residents Steven DiSipio and Mark Capriotti both urged the commissioners not to approve the tank, with DiSipio saying, “I don’t see a reason why Haverford Township should be burdened with an overflow tank.”

, DiSipio again urged them to consider a parallel interceptor line to solve the sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) issue.

RHM solicitor Bill Toal explained to the commissioners that the underground tank is needed because of the SSOs that occur during severe heavy storms the few times during the year where sewerage goes into the park and Darby Creek. Township president and 9th Ward Commissioner Bill Wechsler said that SSOs create a health issue once sewerage overflows onto the land and into the creek.

Sixth Ward Commissioner Larry Holmes had Toal reassure the residents and commissioners that the tank would be built properly and that if the board approves the tank that RHM would continue to find alternative solutions to the problem with other townships that are connected to the line, which Toal agreed with.

“This was nothing that we didn’t agree and didn’t say before,” Toal explained to Patch about his promise to the commissioners after the meeting. “It’s a regional problem that should have a regional solution.”

Both Toal and Holmes told Patch that RHM has its own operating budget and it does receive grants and funds for its projects, meaning that township residents should not see a tax increase for the $2 million sewer tank.

But just because the commissioners approved the tank does not mean it is over for RHM, Toal explained to Patch. RHM is needs to get approval from the DEP, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and various other organizations before the tank can be built.   The approval process for each of these organizations would take place simultaneously, Toal said.