CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has extended its review period for the township’s Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan Update, according to a Monday, Nov. 3, letter addressed to the township.

The plan, prepared by Cranberry-based engineering firm Herbert, Rowland & Grubic and submitted to the DEP on July 7, outlines the township’s vision to construct a sewer system that will connect to the Saxonburg Area Authority.

In the letter, the DEP said the review “will not be completed within the normal time period” but that the additional review period will not exceed 60 days.

A decision on the township’s Act 537 plan is expected on or before Jan. 5, the agency said.

“We expected that it would take awhile for them to go through the request,” Supervisor Angela Fleeger said during a special meeting Wednesday, Nov. 5. “Getting the letter for the extension was not surprising as it’s pretty comprehensive and they need a lot of time to go through that.”

In a related matter, the Saxonburg Area Authority formally requested that Connoquenessing Township reimburse up to $3,000 for the cost of preparing an intergovernmental bulk user agreement.

Supervisors denied the request, saying the township should not be responsible for that expense as a prospective new customer of the authority.

“We believe that they (the authority) need to pay for their own legal fees,” Fleeger said. “That is not the responsibility of this township to do so.”

While officials wait on a decision from the DEP, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic is in the process of conducting septic system surveys that will assist in the design phase of the plan, according to township solicitor Andrew Menchyk.

“Those (the surveys) have been ongoing for probably about three weeks now,” said outgoing Supervisor Bruce Steinhiser. “They should be wrapped up at the end of this month.”