Saxonburg Area Authority working to upgrade last of old clay pipes
Earlier this year, the Saxonburg Area Authority received a grant of $489,558 through the Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer Program. The funds will be used to upgrade a large chunk of the sanitary sewer lines it maintains from clay to modern PVC pipe.
The project will focus on upgrading the outdated sewer lines serving Carol and Beatty drives. According to SAA manager Paul Cornetti, the project is currently in the design phase.
“We are working on the design at this time,” Cornetti said. “My goal is to have the design complete and have this out to bid somewhere around January of next year.”
A news release from state Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, indicates that 100 homes will be affected by the project.
According to its website, the Saxonburg Area Authority provides wastewater treatment services for about 4,600 residents in Saxonburg, as well as Penn, Middlesex, Jefferson and Clinton townships. According to Cornetti, the oldest sewer line in the SAA system dates all the way back to the 1950s, when vitrified clay pipe was the standard for building sewer line.
“That was the way they used to build sewer lines back in the ’50s and ’60s. Those are notorious for having leakage, so they’re not a good long-term solution now,” Cornetti said. “What’s happened over the years is, they have found that using PVC pipe is a much better system.”
Of the 150 miles of sewer lines in its system, Cornetti says only 10,000 linear feet — roughly 1.26% of the system — is still made up of old vitrified clay, while the rest is modern PVC.
“Out of that 10,000 feet left, this project will replace about 2,200 linear feet,” Cornetti said. “So we'll have about, say, 8,000 feet left to replace in future years.”
Cornetti said it’s vitally important to get the rest of the old clay lines upgraded as soon as possible. The longer they remain as-is, the greater the chance of tree roots breaking through the system and causing stormwater blockages.
“The problem with the clay pipe is that it doesn’t have solid and sound joints that are made with rubber gaskets, so water gets into the system,” Cornetti said. “You get a lot of blockages in clay pipes because the tree roots want to go down and find water. Their root systems will generally gravitate toward the open pipes.
Aside from Carol and Beatty drives, other parts of the SAA’s coverage area with clay pipes include High, Isabella and State streets; Constitution Avenue; Thelma Drive; and Rebecca and Fisher roads.
