East Whiteland Supervisors: No More Punting on Sewage Issue

One of the sewage pipes running under Route 202 requires a major overhaul, and East Whiteland supervisors say the financial responsibility falls to the owner of the pipe, Tredyffrin Township.

At Wednesday night's meeting, the board of supervisors will re-examine the issue of whether to sign off on a comprehensive plan to overhaul the sewer system.

Tredyffrin owns the Valley Creek Trunk Sewer, which carries sewage from East Whiteland, Tredyffrin, Charlestown, Easttown and Willistown townships and Malvern Borough, to the Valley Forge Treatment Plant in Phoenixville.

The plan to expand the more than 35-year-old trunk, known as the Act 537 Plan, has been around for years. Previous East Whiteland supervisors had expressed general support for the plan, but balked at providing funding. The overhaul would increase the system's capacity, an upgrade that Tredyffin Township said needs to happen by 2025.

The sections under Route 202, known as LV 57 and 58, that transport East Whiteland sewage have flattened over time under the weight of the highway. The capacity issue is not critical, according to East Whiteland Township manager Terry Woodman, but as part of Act 537, a second, parallel pipe will be installed.

At their March 9 meeting, the board of supervisors sought to carve out language in a resolution that would make their stance clear—acknowledging the work needs to be done but asserting that it is Tredyffin's responsibility.

"The initial plan put us on the hook for a sizeable amount of money for what we consider repair cost," supervisor John Mott said. "We’re already paying for capacity, included in all that is maintenance. So, they went back and took out what they were going to charge us for it."

But the revised plan didn't specify East Whiteland would be exempt from paying, either—the payment issue was left to be decided later.

"To make an analogy," supervisor Virginia McMichael said, "If you buy a cell phone plan for 1,000 minutes per month, they have to give you 1,000 minutes a month. If their tower falls down, if they put it in wrong direction or it's not big enough, [that's not your responsibility]."

All involved municipalities must sign off on the plan before bidding and work can begin. Some aspects of Malvern's East King Street Revitalization efforts cannot proceed until the sewage system is upgraded, according to borough manager Sandra Kelley.