1.
Q What is the Act 537 Plan?
A An Act 537 Plan is the Official
Sewage Facilities Plan for the Township. It determines the wastewater needs of
the Township and evaluates alternatives to address those needs.
2.
Q What does Westtown Townships Act 537 Plan say about
the extension of public sewer into areas that currently unsewered?
A Westtown Townships Act 537 Plan
says that some currently unsewered areas of the Township may need to have
public sewer. Prior to extending the public sewer into a particular area, the
Township will conduct mailer survey to gather information on the health of the
individual on-lot systems serving the homes in those areas. The Township will
also conduct an inspection of a representative sample of the systems in those
areas to supplement the information gathered in the survey.
3.
Q How will the information gathered in the survey and
the inspections be used to determine if my neighborhood needs sewer?
A The information will be used to
judge if the continued use of on-lot systems in your area will provide a
long-term, safe and environmentally friendly method of disposing of wastewater.
4.
Q - I just replaced my septic system 2 years ago. If my
neighborhood is chosen to get public sewer, will I be forced to hook up to the
system?
A The Township is willing to
consider policies that exempt some homeowners from tying into an extended
public sewer system in certain situations. The Township, must balance, however,
what is fair to an individual homeowner with the need to assemble enough users
to pay for the system.
5. Q - I have serious problems with my
septic system. Will that be taken into
consideration in the township's decision of which neighborhoods get sewers and
when they get them?
A Yes. The Township must, however,
balance the needs of individual homeowners with the needs of the larger
neighborhood.
6. Q If I do not have to hook into the public sewer system, will my tax dollars be used to pay for it?
A No. Fees collected from the users
of the public sewer system pay for capital improvements and operation and
maintenance costs.
7.
Q If my neighborhood is chosen to get sewers, when will
it happen?
A The information gathered from the
survey and the inspections will determine if and when public sewer is extended
to a particular area.
8.
Q If public
sewer is extended into my neighborhood, where will the sewage be treated?
A Depending on where you live, the
sewage will be treated at either the Westtown-Chester Creek Treatment Plant on
Westtown Road or the West Goshen Sewer Authority Treatment Plant located in
West Goshen Township.
9.
Q How will the sewage get to the treatment plants?
A If public sewer is provided, the
wastewater will be conveyed to the treatment plants via a gravity pipe system
or grinder pump system. In the gravity pipe system, wastewater from your home
will flow by gravity (downhill) through a four (4) inch pipe to a larger
gravity pipe in the street, where it will flow directly to a treatment plant or
into a pump station. In the grinder pump system, wastewater from your home will
flow by gravity into a grinder pump on your lot, where the sewage will be
macerated and pumped through an 1Ό force main to a force main or gravity pipe
in the street.
10. Q If my neighborhood gets public sewer, will we get a gravity system or grinder pump system?
A If public sewer is to be extended into a particular area, the Township will conduct site-specific studies to determine what is the most appropriate method of collecting and conveying the sewage.
11. Q Will I have input on the decision on whether or not to provide sewer to my neighborhood and/or what type of collection and conveyance system is to be provided?
A Yes. The Township commits to holding public meetings to obtain your comments prior to decisions being made on whether or not to extend sewer into a particular area and on the type of collection and conveyance system to be used.
12
Q - What will it cost me if I have to connect to the
sewer system?
A The cost to connect will be
determined once the extent of public sewer service is determined and once the
site-specific studies are done on the collection and conveyance systems. The
Township will be able to estimate the
costs to connect once the extent of public sewer service is determined.
13. Q If I do not have to connect to a public sewer system, will I be required to pump out my on-lot system on a regular basis?
A Yes. The Township will pass an Ordinance that requires homeowners that are not connected to a public sewer system to provide proof to the Township that the on-lot system is being pumped out on a regular basis.
14. Q How do I find out more information on the proper maintenance of my on-lot system?
A
For specific questions regarding your on-lot system, call the Chester County
Health Department at call 610-344-6526, or go to http://www.chesco.org/health/sewage.html.