Where is all this waste water going?

Dingman — Residents are concerned that environmental threats from new development will impact the value of Dingman homes. During the public comment period of the supervisors meeting on Jan. 8, John Crerand of Conashaugh Lakes told the supervisors they need to take a closer look at the proposed new home and retail store development across from the Wachovia Bank on state Route 739. “This new development is going to have a sewage treatment facility which will produce 300,000 gallons of treated water every day. The treated water is going to be dumped into the Dwarfskill Creek which runs down and fills Crescent Lake. “After a short period Crescent Lake will be entirely made up of 100 percent treated sewage water. What will that do to home values as well as the quality of life for Crescent Lake residents?” Crerand asked. “After it fills Crescent Lake then it will begin to impact on whatever is downstream from that,” he warned. The supervisors listened to Crerand intently but made no comment regarding the issue. In other business, Township Sewage Enforcement Officer Chris Wood reported a recent problem in the township regarding the recycling containers located at the Fisher’s Lane maintenance facility. “There are times when the recycling containers are full and town residents are dumping their recyclables on the ground next to the bins. This is especially a problem during the holiday season. They also just put their items in whatever container has room which creates an even greater problem because the company that picks up the containers charges us extra when this happens,” said Wood. Supervisors Chair Tom Mincer said, “We need the county to get more bins in more locations in the township. We need residents to use a little common sense and take their recyclables back home if the bins are full. When they dump the stuff on the ground, it creates a huge eyesore.” “We will be on the lookout for those doing this and issue citations. When recyclable cardboard is left out and it gets wet, it can no longer be recycled. It is just garbage at that point and it costs us more to get rid of it,” Wood said. Township Solicitor John Klemeyer asked Wood to come up with some simple regulations regarding the use of the recycling bins. Township Roadmaster Jim Snyder reported that he is having a difficult time getting winter road salt. He said he has nine truck loads on order and that it is coming in very slowly. In addition, the township received a response from Penn DOT to one Mincer sent to Gov. Rendell in early December about his dissatisfaction with winter maintenance and snow removal from area state roads. Acting District Executive Richard Cochrane wrote, “Rest assured that we are working to improve our operations as the winter progresses.” Along with the letter, Cochrane included a pamphlet titled “Ice & snow, take it slow,” listing winter driving tips. Mincer read some of the tips aloud in a satirical tone of voice, “Be sure to have a battery operated radio, jumper cables, snow shovel, special medication, water, baby supplies, and even pet food.” Following Mincer’s lead, Supervisor Dennis Brink added, “Maybe we should just have some of these pamphlets in a box at every place township residents go off the road. This will give them something to read while they wait for PennDOT to clear up what caused them to lose control in the first place.” Mincer did admit that the roads have been better after recent storms.