This a follow-up to my earlier post, Surprise!
I presented the information we received from Doctor Musto at the Administration Committee meeting held on September 19th. Needless to say, there was an immediate reaction. Somewhat emotional, somewhat hyperbolic (this was in a period before an election, after all). It was duly reported in the local newspaper, The Morning Times, and duly read by DEP in Harrisburg. (It was also noticed by the Pennsylvanian delegation to the Chesapeake Bay Commission!)
DEP sent us a letter explaining the commonwealth’s Chesapeake Strategy and offered to come to the Valley and discuss the matter with us – an invitation that I quickly extended. That meeting occurred this morning and lasted for and hour and a half. Bob Hawley and Rich Adams from the DEP Northcentral office in Williamsport represented DEP. They are Environmental Program Managers, working in the Water Management Program and the Watershed Management Program. Representatives from the Sayre Borough Council, Athens Borough Council, Athens Township Board of Supervisors, the VJSA, the Athens Township Sewer Authority, South Waverly Sewer Authority, and South Creek Township attended. Also present was State Representative Tina Picket.
It was a very good meeting. Very good questions were asked and answered. My concerns were:
- Buying credits to reduce costs? This option is similar to trading air pollution credits in the power industry. It isn’t an easy topic to describe here, so let me point to some useful resources: the EPA describes water quality trading here, and the Environmental Trading Network lists links to many publications on the topic here. DEP has a web page here. At present, DEP is working out the details and policies to govern nutrient trading. So there is some gray area here.
- Upgrading our sewer plant will result in higher sewer fees, making us unattractive to any businesses looking for work sites. The immediate focus in on the Susquehanna watershed, but in time, the water quality standards will apply to the entire commonwealth. Every facility discharging into any body of water in the commonwealth will have to meet the same discharge restrictions as those of us in the Chesapeake watershed. The deadline for them wasn’t mentioned.
- Certain entities are exempted from compliance with the new water quality standards. This is false. Everyone who discharges into the Chesapeake Bay watershed must comply with each state’s water quality standards. Some entities may have received extensions to their deadlines, but sooner or later, they must comply.
- Funding. How are we going to finance our share of the upgrade to the sewer plant, which according to initial estimates is $7.2 million? This is an issue that the commonwealth is working hard to answer. One of the points Messrs. Hawley and Adams made was that construction of a new hard facility may not be necessary as technological solutions come to bear on the problem. Their point seems to be now that this issue is receiving attention, there are entrepreneurs who have or will have innovative solutions that could reduce end user costs.
- Timing. The VJSA must have a concept and plan by 2010 for DEP review, and must implement that plan in 2013. Depending what needs to be done, DEP may extend that deadline, but I suspect it will not be for a long period of time.
- Non-point pollution sources (land, farms). These entities are not being ignored. Pennsylvania is addressing these pollution sources. For more info, go to DEP’s Nonpoint Source Program page.
So, we have a lot of work ahead of us and one more topic I have to master.
