Sunrise Lake sewage mound has started to leak

SUNRISE LAKE ESTATES — Since last week's article about Sunrise Lake Estates' sewage problems, Dingman Township sewage enforcement officer Chris Wood reached out to Courier with a newly discovered problem.

“Some things have changed," he wrote in an email.

One of the sewage filtering mounds has started to leak, he said, outlining the township’s response.

“We have informed the mound’s owner, Sunrise Lake Water and Sewer Association (SLWSA) of the problem and have ordered them to take the necessary action to repair the system," he wrote. "The actual cause has not yet been determined. It may only be a cracked pipe."

He said the state is aware of the leak, which "does not pose any eminent threat to the wells in the area." There were no leaks when Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) representatives visited the site, he said.

The top of the mound is full of ruts from vehicles running on it while it was wet.

“Most of these ruts are filled with rainwater which has frozen," he said. "This should not be confused with the leakage."

Factors like the weather, the extent of the problem, and the "amount of cooperation we get from SLWSA” will determine how long it takes to fix the system.

By Anya Tikka