No sewage problem at Sunrise Lake, officials say
By Anya Tikka
SUNRISE LAKE ESTATES — Tests show there's no sewage problem at Sunrise Lake Estates, says Dingman Township’s Sewer Enforcement Officer, Chris Wood.
But some Sunrise residents insist the lake has been polluted by raw sewage from leaky sewage mounds.
Wood said he visited the subdivision to take a sample of the ponded water residents had been complaining about but found the area filled with soil and completely dry.
“Either the fill is preventing the water from accumulating in the area, or the Sunrise Lake Property Owners Association has taken the mound off-line," he said. "In either case, the problem has been resolved.”
Wood said the property owners association told him the mounds, which are engineered drain fields, are scheduled to be refurbished next year. Sunrise has refurbished eight other mounds in the past two years, Wood said, so he trusted the work would get done and prevent future problems.
Colleen Connolly, community relations coordinator at the Northeast Regional Office of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), told the Courier that the DEP made a site visit after receiving a complaint from a Sunrise resident last November.
"He complained that sewage from a different section running down onto a private property," Connolly wrote in an emailed response. "A DEP inspector went out on Friday January 8th and determined it was a local issue. Inspector did notice some run-off onto property, but not a large amount. DEP contacted the Borough of Milford and indicated that the problem is a local issue and the sewage enforcement officer needs to address this."
(The state apparently confused Milford with Dingman.)
“This is a private meeting between people on the water and sewage systems and respective supply and management," said Dingman. "This has nothing to do with the DEP. This is about the management of the systems. DEP has been out here, and they found everything is fine. I was just talking to Chris Wood yesterday, and he was with the DEP.”
According to some residents, the problems started a few years back, after the original developers, the Ramagosa family, sold management of the subdivision to the property owners association. The association took over the management of sewer and water systems, collecting fees for maintenance and repair.
Supervisor’s Chair Tom Mincer said the township has responded directly to the state.
“There’s no malfunction at all," said Mincer.
Wood said the state was called in to investigate another water/sewer problem at Sunrise, when a resident's basement flooded.
“A woman got all worked up," said Wood. "She got a broken pipe on her own property. But we got it all worked out that it was a malfunction, a broken pipe going to her house. There are always rumors that take place, and the DEP has to look into it because a complaint was filed.”
Mincer agreed.
"They check up all responses," said Mincer. "DEP always checks into them, but that doesn’t mean there’s a problem.”
Wood compared the DEP to the FBI: "If you call and say you murdered somebody, they have to check it just in case it’s something serious.”