South Buffalo looks for ways to bring public sewage to township

South Buffalo officials are looking for ways to bring public sewage service to the township, and believe doing so could help spur growth there.

“When you drive up Route 28, we are the first township you enter (in Armstrong County). If Armstrong County has a chance to grow, it will have to start in South Buffalo,” said township Supervisor Paul Bergard, who also chairs South Buffalo’s water and sewer authority.

One option would be to connect to Freeport’s sewage system, where a $12 million sewage system renovation project is planned. South Buffalo officials also are talking with Armstrong County Development about whether the township could connect to service at the Northpointe at Slate Lick industrial park, according to Bergard.

Funding for any project could come from grants or a low-interest loan, Bergard said.

Freeport Council President John Mazurowski said several property owners along Route 128 in South Buffalo, just beyond Freeport’s border, have inquired about wanting to tap into Freeport’s sewage system.

Mazurowski said Freeport’s renovated system would be able to handle additional customers from South Buffalo. Flow meters could be used to track what South Buffalo puts into the system and provide a basis for what its residents would pay, he said.

“Many, many, many people are interested in having sewer lines,” Bergard said.

Separately, Bergard said the South Buffalo water and sewer authority will talk at its Feb. 14 meeting about possibly extending public water service from Freeport Road to Ford City Road by way of Shrader Road. The Freeport and Ford City road areas already have water service.

“This would create a loop,” Bergard said.

Meanwhile in Freeport, the first phase of construction in the $12 million sewage project has yet to get underway because of high river levels since the fall, officials said.

Councilman Ron Gallagher, chairman of council’s public works committee, said, “High water has been screwing everything up.”

In the first phase of work, contractor Jet Jack of Oakdale is supposed to move two sewage lines with combined storm and sanitary flow that now goes into the Allegheny River, according to Mazurowski. He said the lines will be relocated so that their contents will be discharged into the treatment plant before going into the river.

Tom Yerace is a freelance writer. Chuck Biedka is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chuck at 724-226-4711, cbiedka@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ChuckBiedka.