Residents of Winfield Township have a right to make their own sewage-disposal decisions - within the parameters of state regulations, of course.

Nevertheless, the uncertainty that continues to dominate the municipality two years after the state Department of Environmental Protection told Winfield it must update its Act 537 sewage-disposal plan or risk penalties and steep fines is a troubling scenario.

By now, the township's sewage issue should be in clear focus. The township should know how its Act 537 compliance will take shape and be getting close to submitting its plan to the DEP for the required state approval.

Instead, the township government, which apparently prefers to shy away from tough decisions, or at least delay them for as long as possible, has just decided to send out a survey to township residents to assist officials in choosing a proper waste-disposal method.

For some places, that might seem an excellent prelude to decision making - if two years of indecision hadn't preceded it. But Winfield surveyed its residents three years ago and that survey determined that residents didn't want to see development in their township and felt prohibiting public water and sewage service was a good way to prevent it from happening.

The passage of just three years makes it unlikely that the new survey will produce a result significantly different from the one for which results are in hand. Therefore, the proposed survey has the appearance of a delay tactic - a tactic that could be counterproductive over the long run.

Winfield residents who continue clinging to the notion that rejecting public water and sewage is the key to blocking development in their municipality are fooling themselves. The proximity of Winfield to Buffalo, Adams, Cranberry and Middlesex townships means development in Winfield is on its way, like it or not.

For Winfield then the question becomes how much more costly it will be to do in the future what could be done now for considerably less. More likely than not, the day will come when public water and sewage service will no longer be an option for Winfield; it will be a necessity that the state will pressure the municipality to embrace - whether or not Saxonburg is part of the solution.

Indeed, the current status-quo attitude portends burgeoning financial obligations for the adults of future decades - the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of current residents.

Saying that should not be construed as implying that joining the Saxonburg Area Authority's expansion would be a panacea for Winfield. But the way the sewage issue has been addressed over the past two years is legitimately open to question, based on what has occurred in regard to Concordia Lutheran Ministries.

Concordia, which the township had hoped would join with it in becoming part of the Saxonburg system expansion, has built a $750,000 sewage system of its own that Concordia officials believe will be adequate for that facility long into the future. Without Concordia on board, the township would have to produce additional money in order to participate in the Saxonburg system.

The projected cost of Winfield joining the system has been estimated at just under $6 million.

The fact that Winfield officials failed to keep Concordia as a partner regarding the sewage plan is indicative that Act 537 compliance has not had the priority that it should have had from Day One. Another indication of that is that Supervisor Michael Robb has taken over the development of the sewage plan since taking office in January. All of the township supervisors should be working together closely in regard to the necessary compliance, with no one having to take charge of the work in order for it to get done.

"We hope to know which way we are going to go by the end of the year," Robb said. He said the Saxonburg Area Authority remained open to discussions regarding Winfield's options and what is feasible for Winfield residents.

Whatever the ultimate decision, it should be based on the future as well as 2004. Unfortunately, there's not much evidence that up to now the future has been given as much consideration as it deserves.

- J.R.K.