Sewer deal is nixed

Board’s plan not approved by other municipalities

TREDYFFRIN >> Following no approval from other municipalities, the Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors rescinded its proposed cost-sharing agreement for the Valley Creek Trunk Sewer rehabilitation.

At the Feb. 8 meeting, township supervisor Mark Freed made amotion to rescind the agreement citing a lack of approval from other municipalities. The motion was put to a vote and passed unanimously.

The Valley Creek Trunk Sewer system ruptured three times between 2012 and 2014. Millions of

gallons of untreated waste flowed into Valley Forge National Historical Park and a tributary of the Schuylkill.

Board supervisors said they hoped the original agreement approved on Dec. 21, 2015 would be accepted by all other participating

municipalities.

However, Township Manager William Martin said Friday no other municipality approved the agreement.

“It’s a complicated, ongoing issue,” Martin said.

Valley Creek Trunk Sewer is owned by the Tredyffrin Municipal Authority which is operated by Tredyffrin Township, according to a statement on the Tredyffrin Township website. East

Whiteland, Easttown, Willistown and Malvern Borough, and the Valley Forge Sewer Authority, are all part of Valley Creek Trunk Sewer.

East Whiteland’s supervisors had approved a draft with revisions to Tredyffrin’s original proposal in December. One condition sought assurance that East Whiteland’s contribution to the cost -haring formula would not exceed $5,085,000.

Easttown officials said their stance on the sewer issue has not changed since December when Tredyffrin supervisors originally made their proposal. Officials at the time said they were working to develop an acceptable cost-sharing agreement.

Officials specifically highlighted municipal financial commitments to the cost sharing formula in their

statement, and wrote they allocated a little less than $2.9 million in their 2016 budget for sewer rehabilitation.

Malvern Borough likewise did not approve the cost-sharing agreement. Assistant Borough Manager Neil Lovekin said the borough was exploring different options.

As for Willistown, officials did not respond to request for comment.

However, Freed said that officials from Willistown seemed unlikely to sign the agreement.

“Our understanding was they were not going to approve,” he said.

To contact Daily Local News staff writer Adam Farence, email afarence@dailylocal.com, or call 610235-2647.