Newtown Township’s Municipal Authority

Last month, Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors featured an insightful look into our Newtown Township Municipal Authority (NTMA). We talked about the NTMA’s history, its members and their contributions to our community, how our public sewer lines operate and are serviced, and how current and future development plans factor into important decisions that impact our residents.

While that feature story provided us with some valuable information about how our Municipal Authority operates, it only scratched the surface of the amount of work that goes into planning and implementing new and ongoing projects. This month, we further our discussion by including more details from expert Dave Hochberg of Delco Storm & Sewer Services about the process of installing sewers and maintaining sewer lines. We also look
to our NTMA members and our engineers from Herbert E. MacCombie, Jr., P.E., Consulting Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. to help us better understand how the planning, design and approval process works and how sewer fees are calculated.

Last month, Mike Sheridan, who served as NTMA’s Solicitor for over two decades, explained that back in 2011, the township was beginning to explore the possible future development of large parcels of land for residential and commercial use. The pinpointed areas were residential communities, commercial properties and undeveloped parcels of land west of Rt 252. This project fell under the existing Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537) that was in place to correct existing sewage disposal problems and prevent future problems through the proper planning, permitting and design of sewer systems.

Newtown Township’s Act 537 plan was approved by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2013, and the work began to expand our public sewer system throughout the western half of the township. Township officials and Supervisors delegated the implementation to the NTMA who engaged the services of Herbert E. MacCombie, Jr., P.E., Consulting Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. to plan and design the project in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DEP requirements.

Dave Porter, P.E., Sr. Professional Engineer with MacCombie Engineers, explained that the process from start to finish involved a total team effort between MacCombie, the NTMA and Township Supervisors that took many years to complete. “We were tasked with planning and designing a sewer system that involved installing 16.5 miles of new sewer lines,” he said. “It involved having over 80 easements granted, five new pumping stations constructed, coordination and cooperation from public utility companies, permitting approvals along the way and final inspections from the DEP.”

The lengthy process involved bi-weekly meetings between the engineers, NTMA and the township. There were also monthly meetings open to the public and design meetings with property owners and community groups in close proximity to the new pumping stations. “We all worked together and got it done,” Dave remarked. “There were some challenges and delays along the way, and I may have a few more gray hairs on my head, but I am proud of our work to see this project come to fruition.”

After the amended Act 537 plan approvals were obtained and final inspections were complete, the township installed the sewer lines, and residents and businesses engaged contractors to connect their homes and businesses. Newtown Square resident and Master Plumber Dave Hochberg, President and Co-owner of Delco Storm & Sewer, said that tying into the public sewer system requires due diligence on the homeowner’s part because every property is different. “My family and I live in Florida Park, so we know firsthand what it’s like to convert to public sewer and decommission an existing septic system.”

Dave and his team of experts have been busy helping homeowners connect to the public sewer system. The type of installation and the price will vary based on where your home is situated relative to the main sewer line. “Installing a gravity line means that the main line in the street sits lower than your home, and sewage will flow out naturally,” he explained. “If your property is situated lower than the main sewer line, you will need a pump installed just beyond the footprint of the house to force sewage to the main.”

Now that the 537 Plan work is underway, the mission of the NTMA is to educate residents about the process of installing, maintaining and repairing our sewer lines throughout the township. NTMA’s Chairman, Maria Kane, said, “We want residents and business owners to better understand how sewer fees are calculated and how their specific usage patterns can be tracked and managed to minimize their costs.” Maria explained that, in
general, fees are determined by how much waste and water runs through the system and that these calculations come from AQUA.

“We set our budgets based on usage numbers,” she said. “Our biggest expense is paying the sewer conveyance and treatment facilities, RHM and DELCORA, but we also need to reserve funds for anticipated repairs to our older sewer lines as well as bond repayments for the expansion.” Maria explained that residents’ quarterly bills contain a $10 charge for infrastructure improvements and $14.35 for debt services. She said that the NTMA does anticipate annual increases in these amounts but will continuously evaluate and work to minimize the impact on homeowners.

“We are planning on putting more information on the township website, including a list of frequently asked questions and easy-to-download forms,” she said. Maria also encourages residents who want to learn more to attend their monthly meetings at 7pm on the third Monday of each month. The meetings are held at Newtown Township Municipal Building, 209 Bishop Hollow Rd, Newtown Square, and may be viewed through YouTube on the Newtown Township Delaware County channel.

For more information, visit the Municipal Authority’s information page under the Government tab at NewtownTownship.org.