Residents Have Concerns Regarding Proposed Sewage Treatment Plant

The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority (NBCJMA, aka Newtown Sewer Authority) recently acquired a 17.5-acre parcel on Lower Silver Lake Road just off the Bypass, on which it plans to build a wastewater (aka sewage) treatment plant (WWTP, see image). For more on that, read “#NewtownPA Sewer Authority Purchases Land for Sewage Treatment Plant.”

At the September 10, 2024, Sewer Authority Board meeting, it was revealed that the potential cost of the plan is $150 million! (Later estimate = $128 million...) “Can of Worms” was mentioned. Not to worry, the Authority has hired a public relations firm! Meanwhile, the Authority says it will work to “ensure that the advanced technology we envision for the plant addresses any potential concerns from residents.” What are those concerns? Read on...

Survey of Residents

The Authority presented details of the plan at the December 11, 2024, Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting where several local area residents spoke up against the plan. I was interested in what other residents had to say about this plan. So, I created a Sewage Treatment Plant Survey. I asked respondents what, if any, were their concerns and questions. To date (1/`9/25) 180 responses have been collected. I summarize these below.

The majority (57%) of respondents say they live in Newtown Township while one-third (33%) live in Middletown (see chart). The Sewer Authority serves approximately 9,000 customers in Newtown Township and Newtown Borough.

Note that while the proposed WWTP site is located in Newtown Township, it borders the Middletown/Langhorne community of Swan Pointe to the west, just down Lower Silver Lake Road. A bevy of Middletown residents - many from Swan Pointe - voiced concerns about the plan at the December 16, 2024, Middletown Township BOS meeting. Listen to their comments on my “Your Newtown Voice” Youtube channel here and on Soundcloud site here and here.

Concerns of Residents

My survey asked “Do you have any of the following concerns about the proposed new sewage treatment plant on Lower Silver Laker Road? (Select all that apply.)

• The Potential Odor
• The Location Close to Homes and Businesses
• The Cost and Impact on Rates
• No Concerns
• No Opinion at This Time
• The Environmental Impact
• Other…

Respondents could also add a choice not included on the list. The following chart shows a summary of respondents' concerns. Below is a sampling of the comments. Keep in mind that many respondents chose more than one concern:

It's the Odor!

Although the Sewer Authority has said over and over again that the high-tech plant would not emit any detectable odor, odor was a major concern of survey respondents as well as a concern of many Middletown residents who spoke up at BOS meetings in December (op cit). Middletown resident Gary Sondermeyer, a former director of operations for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection with sewage treatment plant experience, said he has “never been to [a sewage treatment plant] that doesn't smell and smell horribly.”

ACCESS ALL SURVEY RESPONSES

One Middletown resident respondent put the smell issue in perspective:

• “As someone who lives not far downwind of the proposed plant, I'm also concerned about the potential smell. I was surprised that their presentation strongly leaned on the fact that they didn't smell anything during their one-hour visit to the plant in Kansas. One hour? Of course a sewage plant doesn't smell awful 24/7/365. But can we just assume there won't be any smell at all based on their short observation? What about when it's 98 degrees? What about after three days of heavy rain? What about... smell over the long haul. I'd encourage someone to try to reach out to residents near that Kansas plant to see if they truly *never* experience odors.”

Newtown Borough resident respondents also had concerns/questions about the odor and other issues:

• “What guarantee is there that there won’t be any odor and will not have any negative environmental impact? What other locations have been identified that are not close to neighborhoods?”
• “The odor will definitely drive down house prices. Also, concerned about the environmental impact. We strongly oppose this project and would like to know if anything can be done to make sure this does not happen.”

Newtown Township resident respondents on the odor issue:

• “Will appropriate odor control features be part of the construction and will a bond be posted to insure they are installed and operated properly. (Performance bond with odor control measured by a real independent 3rd party, not a preferred vendor) Bond should be triggered if results are not delivered, irregardless of efforts expended.”
• “Could the border homes get an exemption from property taxes? School taxes?”
• “I do believe the state-of-the-art technology reviewed in Kansas may have much different smell results than older treatment plants, so perhaps a team of skeptics should travel to that location to smell for themselves if there is a difference than what they have experienced at other plants.”
• “Is the Kansas plant a true apples to apples comparison? I doubt it. My guess is there are few if any residents, homes and people in close proximity. I don't want to be the first to test the Kansas plant technology in a residential setting.”

ACCESS ALL SURVEY RESPONSES

Location, Location, Location

• “Pls have respect for local neighbors & locate a better location.” - Middletown resident
• “Consideration of this tract for a WWTP should have been made public before the land was purchased. Actions like this are why no one trusts the government. Everything is done in secret with no concern for residents.” - Middletown resident
• “My other concerns are the impact it may cause on home values going down and the possible loss of potential buyers if they know this facility is so close.” - Middletown resident
• “In general it’s a bad look to build this on the edge of the township next to homes that are not in the township.” - Newtown Twp resident
• “Why does it need to be so close to homes? Sewage treatment should not be this close to homes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. I don’t know why this is even being talked about.. they need to find another location.” - Newtown Twp resident

ACCESS ALL SURVEY RESPONSES

Environmental Concerns

• “Not well thought out in terms of environmental impact to residences and businesses including the new NAC day camp at Village Farm, the Wawa and Holy Family. Core creek stream is usually empty- certainly not enough water to dilute whatever “cleaned crap” is discharged from the plant. That will then go to Core Creek lake- impacting every person who uses it.”- Middletown resident
• “What are the offsite environmental impacts? The Sewer Auhority does not include information on offsite environmental impacts. The required impact study would be extremely limited in scope, just on-site endangered species and wetlands for the most part. Waste water discharged into creeks is expected to be laden with chemicals which have not been identified. Too many unknowns that can effect our own health and our natural resources.” - Newtown Twp resident

Further Reading:

• "Will PFAS from the Newtown WWTP End Up in Lake Luxembourg?"
• "Middletown EAC Member Kevin Deeny Comments on Sewage Treatment Plant"

ACCESS ALL SURVEY RESPONSES

Cost & Rate Impact Concerns

• “I watched the video of the BOS December meeting with the presentation. One question I had was about the cost projection they presented. It showed ever-escalating rates by staying with the County as opposed to developing a plant for Newtown. She said that was based on 20 years of rate history, with an average of 6.2% over the past 20 years and projecting the same 6.2% for the next 30 years. But if you go back to about the 31 minute mark where she shared the rate history, it showed 9.5% annual increases from 2002-2012, but only 1.4% annual increases from 2013-2019. So using a 6.2% average increase over the past 20 years is misleading and disingenuous; if they had taken the average cost increase over the past 10 years, they would project forward only 1.4% annual increases, and there would be no economic justification for building the plant! But that's an oversimplification, too; we know BCWSA faces some large expenses in the future to modernize their system. So a much better and more nuanced cost projection is needed to assess whether Newtown building its own plant makes sense financially. But I'm alarmed that they would predicate this whole thing on the projection of a 6.2% annual increase which is derived from costs from two decades ago.” - Middletown resident
• “The dispersion in costs between build new and stay with existing makes no sense to me. There must be many assumptions about future costs for both options. Where did the Sewer Authority get the projections for the future payments as a commercial user? These assumptions should be public and well documented.” - Newtown Twp resident
• “This a project where the costs, both financial, environmental and quality of life impact, far exceeds the possible financial benefit of lower sewage fees. I urge Newtown Township Supervisors to reject this planned project.” - Newtown Twp resident

ACCESS ALL SURVEY RESPONSES

No Concerns

While many Newtown Township resident respondents had similar concerns, several had NO CONCERNS, but had some questions:

• "A much needed and necessary project. The population is ever growing and the infrastructure needs to keep up with the demands. How long will it take to build?"
• "We need to invest in our infrastructure...[but] Is it truly necessary?"
• "Not in my backyard is the typical response to these types of required infrastructure. State of the art systems will minimize negative impacts versus continued increases from existing model."
• "Glad the authority is planning ahead to ensure fiscal accountabilty to Newtown and I really don't care what Middletown Township Residents think, they didnt oppose Wawa did they??? They like coming to Newtown and all our restaurants....well your waste has to go somewhere!!!"

ACCESS ALL SURVEY RESPONSES