Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec Workers continue upgrading sewer lines near Clark Street in Hollidaysburg recently. The project includes the replacement of aging sanitary sewer mains in two areas of Hollidaysburg, where stormwater infiltration has become a problem, Hollidaysburg Sewer Authority Chairman Regis Nale said.

With numerous rumors and complaints circulating about an ongoing Hollidaysburg sewer project, borough officials said planned work is necessary and remains largely unchanged.

The project includes the replacement of aging sanitary sewer mains in two areas of Hollidaysburg, where stormwater infiltration has become a problem, Hollidaysburg Sewer Authority Chairman Regis Nale said.

The replacement has become a point of contention among some homeowners because they will have to cover costs to repair private pipes that tie into new mains.

“There’s a lifetime expectancy for every system on your house,” Nale said. “Our sewer system is well over 100 years old, most of it.”

A DEP mandate

A portion of the project is required because water depth levels below manholes in the Legion Park area were exceeding an agreed-upon limit set by the state Department of Environmental Protection, borough Wastewater Operations Director Frank Hicks said.

DEP mandated the Hollidays­burg Sewer Authority “take on corrective action to get the levels down,” Hicks said, revealing the authority could have been penalized if action was not taken.

In early 2016, borough officials received $7 million in grant money and low-interest loans from Pennvest to cover project costs.

That amount was high enough to cover work in the Legion Park area, as well as to add work in a section of the borough known as the Jones Street area, Hicks said.

“It made good sense,” Hicks said.

Through a number of engineering surveys, the Jones Street area was identified as particularly problematic in terms of water infiltration, he said.

Infiltration refers to groundwater and stormwater seeping into the sanitary sewer system through cracks in aging infrastructure, Hicks said, revealing many homes in the affected area have terracotta pipes, which he called a “flawed technology.”

Clean water entering the old pipes can reduce space for sewage, causing both surcharging and backups, he said.

Clean water that enters the pipes also must flow through the borough’s sewage treatment plant, Hicks said.

“You still have to treat that water … as if it’s sewage,” he said, noting that extra volume could result in increased sewer rates for customers.

A cost to homeowners

While Pennvest funds are available for main construction, they cannot be used to cover lateral pipes that tie homes into the main sewage line.

Because studies have found that most infiltration comes from lateral pipes, homeowners in the project areas are required to pressure test their pipes and to replace them if they fail.

The laterals must be able to handle five pounds of pressure for 15 minutes, Hicks said. That pressure limit is established in the Pennsylvania Plumbing Code, he said.

“The terracotta lines very rarely pass,” Hicks said.

A large percentage of sewer customers — more than 40 percent — are affected by the work, Nale said.

Some of those customers with failing pipes have found that lateral replacement comes at a high cost and often requires excavation in basements.

Numerous residents have voiced concerns on social media, at public meetings and during phone conversations.

And East Fir Street homeowner Jim Rhodes said he will spend about $7,000 to $10,000 for infrastructure upgrades.

He did not dispute the benefits of the sewer project, acknowledging a problem with infiltration, but he worries about economically disadvantaged residents unable to afford the lateral work.

“There are a lot of homes for sale now,” he said, guessing that may be a result of sewer work.

Rhodes also sympathized with homeowners, who must tear up finished basements in order to replace pipes.

“They are like living rooms downstairs,” he said. “My basement is a mess.”

Borough streets also are a mess, many have complained, but Hicks said the project’s contractor has agreed to restore them.

“We are on schedule to have everything done this year,” he said.

Flier disputed

Rhodes’ concerns are not alone, as they come only a few days after an accusatory flier was circulated throughout the borough.

The flier, which encouraged attendance at a recent authority meeting, criticized officials for setting up a system in which “99 percent” of laterals will fail pressure tests.

So far, more than 1 percent of homes have passed the test, meaning the flier is incorrect, Nale said, and, if 99 percent failed, that would not necessarily be a bad thing.

“If 99 percent fail, then we are targeting the right area for sure,” he said, reiterating the need to curb infiltration.

More severe are accusations that politically motivated borough officials sent letters to certain homeowners, telling them they would not have to comply with lateral requirements despite previously being told they would.

Political motivation, Nale said, has nothing to do with it.

The borough sewer system is gravity fed, with pipes in different sections of town running into different mains, Nale said. During the course of the project, it was discovered some homes previously included in the project do not actually tie into affected mains, he said.

“We assumed that it flowed west. Well guess what? It flows east,” Nale said of certain laterals. “So we told them, ‘Hey, you don’t have to hook up.'”

Those letters were sent to about a half dozen to a dozen homes, he said.

The flier also pointed out a Pennsylvania community that met DEP mandates, with lateral work stopping at homes’ foundations, not requiring replacement beneath basement floors.

Nale said that information also is misleading. That community is still treating clean water through its sewer plant — mainly due to under-home infiltration, he said.

In fact, infiltration has resulted in 10 times the amount of water than was anticipated flowing through pipes in that community. That’s a scenario Hollidaysburg officials aim to avoid.

“If you are going to do it, you might as well do it right,” Nale said, justifying required lateral work. “It’s crazy not to do it.”

Possibly more to come

Still, Nale said he feels for those who will have to spend thousand to make upgrades. Some have claimed costs of up to $15,000, though Nale argued that seems an unfair price.

“They may be getting gouged,” Nale said, encouraging homeowners to contact numerous contractors before paying for work.

He also referenced an October decision from Hollidaysburg Borough Council members, which earmarked more than $80,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to aid low- to moderate-income homeowners with repairs to their sewer pipes.

Then, council members voted to make that money available in individual $2,000 grants to 40 eligible homeowners.

“It’s not like nobody cares,” Nale said.

The ongoing project should be completed by 2019, Hicks said. However, he anticipates sewer work will continue elsewhere.

“Much of the borough is in the same situation as these two areas,” he said.

Nale agreed, and, though he could not provide a timeline, he said residents should be prepared to address aging infrastructure eventually.

“It’s going to be slow, but it’s going to happen,” Nale said.

Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.