Concord Township
Delaware County,
Pennsylvania
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CONCORD TOWNSHIP SEWER AUTHORITY
664 Concord Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342
- AUTHORITY BOARD MEMBERS
- John F. Alexander, Chairman
- Martin McCormick, P.E., Vice Chairman
- Robert Judge, Secretary
- John Kemper, P.E.,Treasurer
- John Gillespie, Asst. Secretary/Asst. Treasurer
- Shahan G. Teberian, Member
- Richard Jones, Member
- AUTHORITY STAFF
Thomas Chew, Manager
Mary Ann Chew, Secretary
Philip Spinelli, Controller
Terri Grant, Secretary
Christopher Mariani, Operations Manager
Joseph Barr, Maintenance/Operator
Mark Smith, Maintenance/Operator
Harry Atene, Maintenance/Operator
John Bright, Maintenance/Operator
James Saunders, Maintenance/Operator
Kenneth Kynett, Esquire, Solicitor
Walter Fazler, P.E., Engineer
MEETING SCHEDULE
The Authority Board conducts their public meeting on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Concord Township Municipal Building, 689 Smithbridge Road. The public is welcome to attend.
An agenda meeting is also held on the last Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m., at the Sewer Plant Offices, 664 Concord Road.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The Authority Office is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached at 610-558-0578; fax number is 610-558-2135.
Email address: MChew@ConcordSewer.com
For emergencies, call 610-476-1615 and leave your phone number; the on-call operator will return your call immediately.
If anyone is interested in a tour of the treatment plant, please contact the Authority Office at 610-558-0578.
AUTHORITY HISTORY
The Concord Township Sewer Authority was formed as an “Operating Authority” pursuant to Ordinance No. 82 adopted by the Board of Supervisors on September 14, 1973. Over the years, many residents have volunteered their personal time as members of the Authority Board, to assure a responsible, viable Authority. The mix of expertise offered by these Concord citizens assures the continuing success of the operation.
One of the major responsibilities of the Sewer Authority is to support the planning and development needs of the Township. Whenever developers propose construction for a new residential community or commercial center, the Authority will always be asked if there is treatment plant capacity available to provide the necessary wastewater treatment. If capacity is available and the Supervisors approve the development after review and recommendation by the Planning Commission, the Authority will enter into a separate agreement with the developer for the installation of the collection lines. Whenever possible, the Authority will attempt to have the developer install individual lateral connections for residents along the way. This offers township residents the opportunity to tie-in at a much more economical rate. As required by the PA Department of Environment Protection (DEP) under their Act 537 Plan, the Board of Supervisors, from time to time, will update sewage planning for the Township through the preparation of an Act 537 plan. The Authority also supports the Supervisors in this planning process.
PLANT CONSTRUCTION
The treatment plant and initial collection lines were constructed and installed through a unique contractual arrangement between the Authority and a group of developers who were restricted from building due to a DEP moratorium placed on new development in Concord Township. The restriction was in effect because the soil in many instances was not capable of supporting any more on-site septic systems. As a result, the developers group constructed the plant and collection system at a cost exceeding $6.9 million and the Authority negotiated a reimbursement amount of $5.1 million. The Authority was able to repay the developers group from capacity fees that were charged to subsequent developers such as Toll Brothers for Garnet Valley Woods and Concord Chase, Pulte Corporation for Smithfield Estates, and other developments such as The Shoppes at Brinton Lake, Delaware County for the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, the apartments at Summit, Cornerstone and Concord Point. The bottom line is the Authority was able to repay the entire construction obligation without any taxpayer cost.
THE PROCESS
Briefly, the wastewater treatment process being used by the Concord Township Sewer Authority is referred to as “Extended Aeration”. Essentially, we feed copious amounts of air and a minimum amount of chemicals to the wastewater as it is being processed. We are working with the naturally occurring microorganisms (“bugs”) to aid them in ridding the wastewater of environmentally harmful contaminants before we discharge to the west branch of the Chester Creek. Our strict discharge parameters are constantly monitored by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We are proud to say that we are consistently within their guidelines.
RESIDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
Each customer can help to maintain and/or reduce the costs for processing wastewater by doing the following:
Maintain lawn cleanouts by keeping them at least 6” above ground surface and the screw cap intact to prevent unwanted ground water infiltration and objects from entering your piping;
Use your garbage disposal unit sparingly. Large food matter, peelings, etc. should be placed in the trash;
Never dump paint, solvent, oil, fuel, or chemicals into your sewer system.
Separate large amounts of grease; let the grease solidify in a container and place in the trash. Grease is extremely detrimental to the wastewater process and habitually clogs sewer trunk lines.
Swimming pool water must not be discharged into the sewer system as the chemicals in that water will kill the bacteria needed for the sewage process to function properly.
Basement sump pumps and rain water downspouts are prohibited from connection to the sewers as they add unnecessary stress to the hydraulic load at the sewer plant, thereby adding to the process costs.
Feminine hygiene products should not be disposed of in the sewer system.
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