Lower Gwynedd Township addresses exposed sewer pipe

A Good Samaritan may have saved Lower Gwynedd Township RIfiFLDOs IURP sRPH PDMRU KHDGaches after discovering an exposed sewer pipe while walking along the banks of the Wissahickon CreekK

During the Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors meeting OctK 10, Township Manager Larry Comunale publicly recognized Public Works Director Michael DeStefano for quickly responding and putting the repair project together after receiving word from an unknown Good Samaritan that a 19-inch sewer pipe was exposed along the Trewellyn walking trail behind Trewellyn bstates and Gwynedd-Mercy CollegeK Had it broken, Comunale said, it would have gone directly into the Wissahickon CreekK

“This is not an easy task,” Comunale saidK “There’s a lot of coordination to be doneK xDeStefano] had to get a DbP emergency permit, which he got in record timeK

“There are a lot of moving parts in this project and it’s under way … and it took less than a week since it was discovered to mobilize it,” he saidK “It was a good job by Mike to get this all together so quicklyK”

Comunale said the township is working in tandem with a contractor who will do most of the excavating and concrete work at the site while the township will do all it can handle including hauling in stoneK

DeStefano said the contractor had started work that day and made good progress with stabilizing the stream bankK He said he expected DOO wRUN WR EH finLsKHG Ey WKH HnG of the weekK

Supervisor Stephen Paccione said he had been to the site and said he wanted to recognize the Good Samaritan because “walking on the trail you wouldn’t have noticed it, the exposure to the pipeK” Paccione sDLG WKH unLGHnWLfiHG SHUsRn wDONs and cleans along the banks of the creek and noticed the problemK

Board Chairman bd Brandt said he’d like to send the person who discovered the problem a letter of appreciation for calling it inK

Supervisor Mark Grey asked if there were any more sewer runs like the current pipe that was spotted because he said it sounded like it was by chance that the pipe was spotted and it didn’t sound like there was an inspection team that looks for something like thisK He said he wanted to make sure that any similar issues would be addressedK

DeStefano said this particular pipe ran along the curvature of the creek whereas most of the other pipes run parallel with itK He said he’d make sure there were no other issuesK

In other business, Comunale said the OctK 24 meeting would include an opportunity for residents to speak with representatives from PennDOT about the Route 202 project and ask questions before FRnsWUuFWLRn finLsKHs Ln WKH FRPLnJ monthsK