Sewage

SMITHSBURG --State officials want towns to better plan how annexations are carried out and to more effectively plan for drinking water and sewage treatment needs. The initiatives stem from Gov. Martin O'Malley's "Smart, Green & Growing" efforts and are related to Chesapeake Bay pollution issues, said Jill Baker, a town planner for the town of Smithsburg. But in Smithsburg, town officials are complaining about the money that has to be spent to comply with the requirements and they question why they have to be dealt with now as they wrestle with other issues in the community.

BOONSBORO -- Three Boonsboro residents who live along North Main Street have experienced raw sewage backing up into their homes, and town officials said an engineer's report traced a March 7 backup in two of the houses to a nearby Weis Markets store. Kevin Chambers, chairman of the Boonsboro Municipal Utilities Commission, said Tuesday that one of the residents experienced sewage backups four times, another resident experienced backups twice and a third resident experienced at least one backup.

HAGERSTOWN -- A worker was injured Wednesday afternoon when he fell about 17 feet into an empty tank under construction at the City of Hagerstown's wastewater treatment plant off Frederick Street, Hagerstown Fire Department Battalion 2 Chief Randy Myers said. The worker was helping build the concrete tank that will be used to treat sewage when he apparently fell off a ledge on the inside of the tank at about 3:30 p.m., Myers said. The worker appeared to have arm and shoulder injuries and was taken to Washington County Hospital, Myers said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Substantially higher sewer bills might be on the horizon for many Eastern Panhandle residents because of mandated waste treatment standards aimed at cleaning up Chesapeake Bay. With no guarantee of federal or state money for facility upgrades in sight, at least two customer-supported sewage treatment systems in Berkeley and Jefferson counties are eyeing potentially large sewage rate increases. The tougher pollution standards, which include reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients released into the bay's watershed, were set into motion by former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise in June 2002.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Williamsport Town Council members Monday night agreed to increase the town's sewer rates by 7 percent. Mayor James G. McCleaf II said previously that the town decided to go forward with the rate hike after Washington County, which processes the town's sewage, increased its processing charge to the town by 5 percent. The rate increase will raise the monthly sewer bill for a family of three to four people by about $5.50 a month, McCleaf has said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Chambersburg borough officials are looking into a proposal that might help the environment and save them more than $9 million. The borough council this week agreed to spend $15,000 on a study that will detail how nutrients can be removed from cow or swine manure. That study will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to find out whether a participating farm's efforts can earn "credits" for protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Council President William McLaughlin hopes the amount of those credits will be enough to keep the borough from having to expand its Hollywell Avenue sewage treatment plant as planned.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- The Warm Springs Public Service District's insurance company will pay for a Vernon Street family whose home was damaged by sewage to be housed at the Best Western through Jan. 16, homeowner Deborah Harris said. The family was helped initially by the American Red Cross. When the sewer department responded to a call Tuesday from Harris that raw sewage was gushing outside a blocked sewage pipe, department workers used 200 pounds of pressure to unclog it - a force that "flooded the home with sewage," Harris said.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - When a clogged sewage line was unclogged by pressure Tuesday, raw sewage was forced into the lines of a home at 17 Vernon St. When the Warm Springs Public Service District responded to a call Tuesday from homeowner Deborah Harris, who said raw sewage was gushing outside a blocked sewage pipe, department workers used 200 pounds of pressure to unclog it - a force that "flooded the home with sewage," Harris said. The sewage was forced into the bathroom toilet, sink and bathtub, and into the kitchen sink, which overflowed onto the floors, Harris said.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA.-Seven people were taken to the hospital on Friday after an attempt to clean up an overflow of sewage at the Wal-Mart Supercenter near Charles Town went awry, prompting the store to be evacuated and closed for about two hours, officials said. Firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the store at 96 Patrick Henry Way at 1:50 p.m. after they received a report of a store employee with respiratory problems, Independent Fire Co. Chief Ed Smith said. Following protocol, the store was evacuated after emergency officials arrived, Smith said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Quincy Township is applying to the state for $400,000 to reduce the nitrate and sediments in the effluent from its Nunnery Road sewage treatment plant. The Franklin County Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for funding through the competitive Community Development Block Grant program. The total project cost for the redesign and reconfiguration of the plant is approximately $650,000, said Supervisor Bob Gunder.