MAWC seeks funds to fix century-old underground arch in Scottdale

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is seeking $1 million in aid from the state to make repairs to a century-old underground brick arch that allows the flow of sewage through Scottdale.

The small 4-foot arch, which authority engineer Dan Schmitt described as similar to an aqueduct, was discovered shortly after MAWC took ownership of the Westmoreland Fayette Municipal Sewage Authority, which serves nearly 2,500 customers in Scottdale, Everson, East Huntingdon and Upper Tyrone.

The county agency purchased the local sewer system in 2023 as part of a $17.5 million deal. As part of its routine inspection, engineers used old paper records to locate the 100-year-old structure and then dispatched an underground camera to confirm its existence.

The archway allows sewage and stormwater to pass under Chestnut Street to a nearby treatment plant, Schmitt said.

“It’s unique. There may be others in the system but this one is very old,” Schmitt said of the arch.

There is concern that, if left unrepaired, the structure could eventually be endangered by erosion, blocking the flow of sewage through town and lead to damage of the road above and to yards of nearby homes.

“A collapse is not imminent,” Schmitt said.

The authority is seeking a $1 million state grant to pay for the project, which includes digging about 8 feet down to expose the structure and then spray it with a chemical that is expected to halt any future erosion and prevent deterioration of the arch.

MAWC board members Friday voted to apply for grant funds for the Scottdale project, as well as separate $1 million grants to upgrade sewer pipes in Avonmore and for the replacement of a water pump station in Penn Township.

MAWC officials also approved a $150,000 project to repair damage to a hillside adjacent to the Avonmore Sewage Treatment Plant. Summer rains caused a landslide that endangered the plant and put cement holding tanks at risk of crashing about 20 feet down into the Kiskiminetas River.

“We need to repair this before that happens,” said MAWC manager Michael Kukura.

Plans call for the authority to reinforce the hillside through the installation of rock and other fill. The project started this week and is expected to take about seven days to complete.