The Bradford Sanitary Authority is allowing to move forward a proposed facility that will treat brine water from area oil producers.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the authority voted in favor of issuing an industrial pretreatment permit to Advanced Water Services LLC (AWS).

AWS plans to have brine trucked in to a treatment facility at 350 High St., where contaminants will be removed from the brine. What’s left will be transported through the authority’s sewer system to the wastewater treatment plant on Seaward Avenue, then released into the Tunungwant Creek. The creek flows into the Allegheny River.

Public discussions on the plan had brought many out to share their side, most notably representatives of the Seneca Nation of Indians, who were concerned about the impact the project could have on local waterways, particularly the Allegheny River.

A full house attended Tuesday’s meeting, with many offering comments for the authority’s consideration before the vote.

The authority provided agendas, with an attached statement on its position on the matter. Executive Director Rick Brocius gave visitors a few minutes to read the statement before the meeting commenced.

Dr. Shannon Seneca of the Seneca Nation Health System was the only speaker to say she was representing the Seneca Nation. She said she appreciated the effort Brocius and his associates have put into research and informing the public.

“I really feel like you’ve shown a lot of respect for the Seneca Nation,” she said. “I think you guys are doing a really great job.”

However, after going through the final permit, Seneca had a few additional things she hoped they would add to the monitoring process. She did not ask them to stop the project.

She listed several analytes she wanted the water to be tested for, and she asked if certain substances could be tested for more frequently. She also felt the cumulative impact of radioactive isotopes was not being considered, as well.

Seneca brought concern for organisms living in the waterways, particularly mussels.

She suggested the Seneca Nation and the authority share any baseline testing results for the water.

Brocius agreed that seeing no harm come from the project was important, and he asked Seneca for a list of her requests for consideration.

Several others spoke, too.

Bradford oilman Mark Cline said, “We jumped over every hurdle put in front of us,” adding that every standard has been met, too. “For 147 years, old has been produced here.”

He said in that time, the industry has helped to build the town, and he asked that the city show its support back by approving the project.

Conversely, another man read a letter from a friend who was concerned the project is “risky and dangerous.” It listed several health problems that the man’s friend said can be caused by chemicals in fracking water.

The letter-writer feared the ramifications “for the people who live in these watersheds are much more consequential than you have been told” and wondered who would pay any medical bills that came from it.

Speaking for himself, the letter-reader said those involved will be held accountable for everything that happens. “Now I am placing my life, my trust, in you,” he said.

Others shared pros and cons of the project, too.

Ultimately, the authority voted unanimously to approve the permit.

In the authority’s statement on its position, it was explained, “BSA has committed a tremendous amount of time and effort over the last nine months to assessing the impact of the brine from the local oil fields and from the AWS process.

“BSA’s research included numerous meetings, conference calls, peer conversations and document reviews amongst many stakeholders,” which included the Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, professional engineers and the Seneca Nation of Indians.

AWS met qualifications to be permitted by agreeing to meet all the standards required of them, and the authority will “very regularly and thoroughly monitor ASW’s performance,” the statement said. “We can all agree that as consumers of fossil fuels we need to do our part to support the safe treatment of this brine wastewater.”

The authority believes that any impact from AWS discharge will be “well below any level of concern,” and that the plant is more than capable of handling the additional task.

“If AWS is successful, everyone will benefit from this approach,” the statement concluded.

Brocius added in a statement to the press, “Authority staff have spent months working with the wastewater treatment engineers, consulting other treatment plants and discussing the regulatory requirements with the federal EPA and state DEP. The goal of this effort was to ensure that the permit is properly constructed and meets all current requirements to adequately protect the treatment plant.

“BSA is hopeful that the AWS company can deliver a cost-effective process to help the local oil producers with a means to properly manage their brine water from the local conventional oil production activities,” he said.

When talking about monitoring AWS, Brocius noted, “The permit contains ample recourse for BSA to halt, suspend or terminate the AWS operation and discharge should their efforts be unsuccessful with the defined nine-month development time frame.”

Also at the meeting, authority engineer Jack Rae gave an update on the Phase 3 upgrade underway at the plant.

Excavation is nearly done for foundations for new sludge digester tanks, chlorine building and vehicle storage building. Also, five new flow meters will be installed to monitor the flow in the collection system.

Stormwater projects on Rockland and Marion avenues are nearly complete, and crews will soon begin installing an infiltration and stormwater overflow system between Marion Avenue and Onofrio Street to address localized flooding. They are also looking into run-off complaints on Limestone and East Main streets and North Kendall Avenue.

A committee is continuing to update stormwater regulations. They will be posted to the authority’s website when they are complete.

The authority is asking that, with autumn here, residential customers help keep falling leaves out of storm basins. By cleaning storm basins and filling out a one-page credit application, customers an qualify for a 15-percent credit on their stormwater bills.

According to Brocius, residents can read more about sanitary and stormwater activities, as well as on the Phase 3 project, on the authority’s Facebook page and website.