Bradford Sanitary Authority approved a budget Tuesday that keeps both sanitary and stormwater rates for customers at current levels.
The authority talked about the budget during treasurer Norm Strotman’s report on the finance & budget committee.
Regarding the sanitary budget, one reason fees did not have to increase is because the completion date for the wastewater treatment plant upgrade was pushed back six months. As for the stormwater fees, they have loans that they will be finished paying off soon, which will reduce expenses.
“As we continue to tackle more work ourselves,” it will be “more economical,” Executive Director Rick Brocius added.
Brocius noted that the past several budgets had included more funding for training and equipment to help the crew do a better job.
The board heard about repairs for two stormwater issues, as well as stormwater maintenance.
Brocius said an emergency stormwater repair was made on West Washington Street when a hole opened up along the road from a collapsed storm line. Authority crews installed about 20 feet of new plastic storm line.
Also, crews from the authority and the Department of Public Works installed a new storm basin on Tibbitts Avenue to capture surface flow before it got into the road. Water in the street had been causing winter safety hazards for some time.
“Authority crews also spent two afternoons clearing fallen leaves from plugging over 100 storm basin grates,” Brocius said.
Residents who keep their nearest storm basin free of debris can sign up for a credit to reduce their monthly fee by 15%. Sign up online at www.bradfordsanitary.com or by phone at 368-6254.
Also at the meeting, Brocius talked about an upcoming project — “2020 Downtown Area Sanitary and Stormwater Rehab Project” — for which the authority has applied to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for a Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer Grant.
The project will encompass various sanitary and stormwater system improvements.
“Regarding the scope of the potential grant projects, the highest priority will be given to repairs and improvements required to prevent stormwater and groundwater from entering the sanitary sewer system and where future paving is planned,” Brocius explained.
The authority is working with city officials to seek projects that can be completed concurrently to streetscape projects. He said possible projects may be done in the following areas: Jefferson Street, Chestnut Street, Congress Street, Potter Street, South Avenue, Elm Street and Pine Street.
Engineer Jack Rae reported on Phase 3 upgrades at the plant.
According to Rae, the authority has stopped watering the new reedbed facilities, as the reeds are now going dormant for winter. The reeds are three to four feet in height.
Rae said the new sludge digester systems are ready for start-up. Once the digesters are treating sludge from the plant, the digested sludge will be fed to the reedbeds. The plants will take up the water, and the solids will naturally decompose, eliminating the need to haul waste sludge to the landfill.
He said other work that is done at the plant includes installing new energy efficient heating boilers and windows and erecting the new vehicle building with details such as doors, windows, stormwater piping and rough grading.
In the next two weeks, contractors are expected to work on the interior of the vehicle building, heating, plumbing, electrical, water and staff offices, according to Rae.
Brocius said the authority received results from the 2019 Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association’s Performance Assessment Program.
“The program, which consists of a self-assessment survey, is a tool designed to identify strengths as well as areas of improvement,” he explained. “BSA first enrolled in the program when it was launched in 2018. Participating authorities must answer hundreds of questions relating to their performance in the areas of Administration, Finance, Operations, and Personnel.”
In 2019, the Bradford Sanitary Authority had improvements in the following areas: succession planning, business plan, best practices policy, e-commerce and technology, infrastructure stability, rates/affordability of rates, emergency responsiveness, personnel policies and safety.
The authority is now establishing new goals for 2020.
Crews are working on the digital mapping of the sanitary and stormwater systems for the GIS program, a project required by the Public Utility Commission.
“New map layers showing the locations of abandoned lines and past Inflow & infiltration (I&I) work are under development,” Brocius explained to The Era. “The GIS program is now also tracking and issuing work assignments for BSA field crew staff as requests for assistance are received from customers and other utilities. The program aids BSA staff in the planning and prioritizing of field work and improves the quality of the information required for the annual DEP Chapter 94 Report describing work completed on the sanitary and stormwater systems.”
Employees also made a couple of BSA-related trips.
Treatment plant Foreman Donnie Hayden and licensed plant operator Matt O’Connell went to the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association’s (PMAA) Region 6 fall meeting in Johnstown for a presentation on regulatory updates. Hayden and O’Connell also visited the wastewater treatment plant in Indiana, Pa., as part of a state Department of Environmental Protection outreach program to review operational and laboratory procedures.
Brocius, who is also the PMAA Region 7 director, attended the state board of directors meeting recently in Harrisburg.
