Bradford Sanitary Authority and Mortimer’s Excavating personnel have joined the ranks of those who have been targeted by drive-by “shootings” with Orbeez water beads.
At Tuesday’s meeting of Bradford Sanitary Authority, Executive Director Steve Disney said, “Two employees from the Sanitary Authority working on North Center Street and two employees from Mortimer’s Excavating working on East Main Street were all targets.”
There is a TikTok challenge where people film the drive-by style “shootings.” Disney said three of the four people were struck, and no one was injured. Police are investigating the incidents.
Also at the meeting, Disney gave an update on the NPDES permit process, which has been ongoing with the state Department of Environmental Protection. He said the permit renewal application has been submitted, and the DEP has received it.
The Environmental Protection Agency has reviewed and accepted the revised plan, and the local limits re-evaluation will need to be performed again in 2024 based on a new NPDES permit, Disney said.
He updated the board about the heavy rainfall the region received on Nov. 11, saying the plant handled the weather event with no major issues.
“A total precipitation amount of 2.73 inches of rain was recorded at the treatment plant,” he said.
Disney said the authority hosted Steve Chausse and Zia Qureshi from Noresco on Nov. 2 to review the operations of the water and wastewater treatment plants. He explained the two had conducted a session on operating water and wastewater plants at a conference in September.
“Their session centered on the challenges authorities face in managing water and wastewater systems leveraging Pennsylvania’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Act,” he said. “Under this act, authorities can address operations and management, optimization of aging infrastructure, technology and regulatory and regulatory compliance and funding.”
More review into the act will be conducted.
Regarding timber, Disney explained, “Ken Kane from Generations Forestry has completed a timber inventory of the available ash trees on BSA property above the treatment plant on Seaward Avenue. Ken is estimating 145,000 board feet of ash is available to salvage. Plans will be to generate a timber sale in 2023.”
Disney gave an update on delinquencies, explaining sewer and stormwater account delinquencies were up slightly in October, “mainly from slight increases in commercial delinquencies.
“It looks like income for sewer will be over forecast for the year and storm will just achieve forecast for the year if trends continue,” he said. “BSA is still proceeding with water service terminations for delinquent accounts and will continue to as long as the weather conditions permit us to do so. We continued terminations until the end of December last year.”
As for field operations, Disney said main line assessment on both sanitary and stormwater systems showed areas of piping that were in poor condition. Insight Pipe Contracting from Harmony is awaiting materials to begin a cure-in-place lining rehabilitation project in four locations — portions of Delaware Avenue, Chautauqua Place and Chamberlain Avenue for the sanitary system and Davis Street for the stormwater system.
Cleaning and assessments in the stormwater system are continuing.
