Abington regional wastewater authority to upgrade sewage treatment facility in US

The Abington regional wastewater authority in the US state of Pennsylvania has announced its plan to upgrade and expand a sewage treatment facility, to reduce the overflow of nitrogen and phosphates from the plant into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The authority will invest $17m to control and reduce the discharge of contaminants as per the new guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The sewage treatment plant serves South Abington Township, Clarks Summit and Clarks Green in Pennsylvania.

Abington regional wastewater authority board member Stephen Evers was quoted by The Times-Tribune as saying that, "We needed to address this, and though it’s costly, it’s for the benefit of the environment."

The authority’s executive director Bob Davis said the discharge levels should be under the EPA’s set limits.

"This a step we need to make to come into compliance with the EPA’s mandate," Davis added.

Consulting environmental engineer James Elliot said the authority will have to maintain operations of the existing processes including the pumping, biosolids, settling, disinfections and all.

The wastewater authority is planning to seek tenders for construction of the $34m project by 1 November 2012 and complete it by October 2015.

The construction is expected to be finished in nine phases so that the facility can continue its operations.

Increased presence of nitrogen and phosphate nutrients in the watershed will be harmful for the marine life as it creates a low oxygen atmosphere in the water.

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Image: Satellite picture of Chesapeake Bay. Photo: NASA.