Officials have 30 days to write repair plan

The Northern Cambria Municipal Authority has 30 days to submit a plan to the state detailing how it will repair serious water supply and facility issues at its plant, which has been under scrutiny for months.

Department of Environmental Protection officials said they are concerned about a list of violations and questioned the adequacy of the existing water supply, saying the plant may not be able to produce enough treated water to adequately supply customers.

"While the water supply is safe, the violations found during DEP's inspections are serious and, if let go, pose the potential to create a public health and safety risk," said Ronald Schwartz, acting regional director for the Southwest region.

The authority's plant has been under the microscope since August when a state inspection showed a chlorinator malfunctioned and was taken offline without proper notice and that an emergency dialer to notify residents of issues was off the hook, among numerous issues.

The plant serves the northern half of Northern Cambria and parts of Susquehanna Township.

The board approved a three-month deal Thursday with Water System Solutions at $4,000 a month to essentially become the plant's day-to-day manager, authority member Paul Weaver said.

Plant operator Thomas Yeckley and staff will answer to the consultant. Weaver said the deal may extend beyond the initial three-month agreement.

Early reports indicated E. coli bacteria was found in a tested sample, but DEP officials said that proved to be false. The chlorinator has since been repaired and now works properly but other issues remain.

"During follow-up inspections in August, DEP discovered additional serious violations, including a broken transmission line, broken valves and damaged water tanks," DEP officials wrote in a statement.

The authority has been looking into supply remedies for months and may add another link to the neighboring Spangler system, Weaver said.

Mirror Staff Writer David Hurst is at 946-7457.