Connoquenessing Township’s infrastructure plans took a major hit when the state Department of Environmental Protection denied its $53 million Act 537 sewage plan in a Dec. 18 letter.

“The Department has determined that the update revision is technically deficient and not approvable as submitted,” reads the letter from the DEP, which is publicly available on Connoquenessing Township’s website.

The decision by the state body comes five months after township supervisors voted to submit a public sewage plan to the DEP. The plan called for the township’s wastewater to be treated by the Saxonburg Area Authority. This would involve the construction of a new, township-owned collection system at a cost of millions of dollars.

The plan was received negativity by many township residents, who criticized the board for not looking at other alternatives. The plan also was criticized for potentially creating a major increase in utility costs for residents. Signs from frustrated residents began appearing on township roads with slogans such as “It’s Not Affordable” and “Fair Plan, Not Their Plan.”

The rejection was initially announced at the township’s close of business meeting Monday night, Dec. 29. The news was received with relief by some residents, including Bill Long, who has spoken passionately at township meetings about the issue for months.

“As far as reaction (from residents) goes, it wasn’t anything too excessive,” Long said. “A number of the people who commented were saying, ‘This is what we’ve been telling them all along.’ It’s too expensive, too large, and so on and so forth.”

Angela Fleeger, the supervisor who cast a dissenting vote in July, also expressed relief at the outcome.

“I did not feel as though we explored all options appropriately,” Fleeger said. “I’m actually relieved that they denied it and gave us another opportunity ... to rework the plan and make it work for our township.”

Among the multiple issues raised by the DEP in its rejection letter are the potentially steep costs that would be passed along to township residents. According to the letter, each household would expect to pay $252 per month for wastewater collection if the plan went through — more than 3% of the township’s median household income.

“This rate appears to be economically unimplementable without grants to bring the rate down,” reads the letter. “The update revision gives no alternatives for how the plan would be implemented ... if grants cannot be obtained.”

The DEP also faults the submitted plan for not addressing residents’ concerns regarding agricultural impact.

“I don’t think there was much attention being paid to the agricultural ground that would be ruined and the pipes going through the center of people’s plowed fields once the soil is disturbed,” Long said.

The township started its struggle to create a comprehensive sewage plan in 2023. In June of that year, the township received a letter from the DEP stating that it was in violation of the 1966 Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act for failing to implement public sewage.

The controversy came to a head in July. At their meeting that month, supervisors voted 2-to-1 to submit an Act 537 plan to the DEP, even though the township had just received a 60-day extension on its submission deadline.

The two members of the board who voted yes — Ricky Kradel and Bruce Steinhiser — will not be on the 2026 board. In their place are newly elected board members Ray Kroll Sr. and Mark Williams.

“I know that Mark Williams and Ray Kroll have both followed the sewage plan very closely,” Fleeger said. “They attend all of the public meetings and I have spoken to both of them as far as what their thoughts and feelings are on the 537 plan. I know that they were both happy with the DEP’s denial letter as well.

“It gives the new board of supervisors the opportunity to go back in and to address it in a different way — one that’s better for the community,” she said.

In its rejection letter, the DEP offered some advice on how the township could alter its Act 537 plan and receive an approval in the near future. The letter suggested several ways for the township to reduce the scope and cost of the project, including prioritizing problem areas such as Winterwood Drive and Eagle Mill, Evans City and Kriess roads.

The department has even suggested that there may not be a “one-size-fits-all” solution to the township’s wastewater needs.

“The planning area does not have to be served by a single alternative throughout,” the letter reads. “By looking at the sewage needs in ‘study areas,’ a combination of solutions to address the sewage needs may be considered.”

The letter also orders the township to submit a revised plan to the DEP by no later than July 1.

“I view the denial as an opportunity to reset the entire process properly, investigate all alternatives and pursue solutions that prioritize public health while remaining financially responsible and fair to the community,” Fleeger said. “I feel that was lacking before.”