Growth drives sewer system's expansion
SAXONBURG — In Paul Cornetti's role as the engineer for the Saxonburg Area Authority, he has seen much of the growth in the southeastern part of Butler County in the past five years.
After 2000, several developments tied into the authority's sewer and water systems were under way. Saxonburg Village, a residential plan of 29 townhouses off Main Street, was completed last year.
The Countryside development on Fisher Road in Jefferson Township brought nearly 40 single-family units into the area.
The Plantation housing development was started in 2003. A 121-unit plan of single-family and four-family homes, the 89-acre site on Freeport Street still is being built.
On the commercial end, the 400-acre Victory Road Business Park in Clinton Township began adding tenants after a 1999 groundbreaking. A 400,000-gallon water tank was built to accommodate the resulting new lines.
Cornetti said the authority in 1999 discovered its sewage flow was a little high, which required making improvements to its sanitary facilities. In 2001, the authority shifted gears when Middlesex Township experienced its own growth and officials from there asked about joining the system.
Along with providing a better location for a new sewage treatment plant, rates for both existing authority customers and Middlesex residents were found to be lower if the township was added to expansion plans.
Cornetti said more buildings tied to the system helps keep rates from rising too much for existing customers and stabilizes rates for new customers, who would have paid more if they weren't connected to a larger system.
As a result, Middlesex, and later Penn Township — where the site of the new treatment plant was relocated to better accommodate future lines — became part of the authority in 2003.
A small portion of Richland Township in Allegheny County also is included in the design.
After preliminary designs were complete, the authority bid out the expansion project in 2005. Costing $52.5 million, construction began last month and is scheduled to end in the spring of 2007.
The expanded system is designed to cover development for 20 years.
Although the authority also is considering a water system expansion, that plan is on hold while its efforts are concentrated on the sewage expansion. If a water system expansion would occur, it would double the number of customers.
But work on the water system can't be postponed indefinitely.
"The main line is in bad shape," Cornetti said.
He estimated the waterline, which stretches 14.5 miles from Saxonburg to Harmar in Allegheny County, would need upgraded within 15 years anyway. If Middlesex joins the system, the line would be replaced.
The water system expansion project would be started within five years, Cornetti said.
