web1_rr_bb2_faa.jpg

Billy McKinney, Jake Cave power RailRiders to win

web1_KISSCalf.resized.jpg

Newborn calf udderly similar to Simmons of KISS fame

<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; A Dallas Area Municipal Authority proposal that requires a fee to inspect public sewer connections before a home sale is finalized met with opposition from residents this week.</p><p>The cost, which was estimated to be up to $500, is part of a Corrective Action Plan that DAMA developed to meet requirements to lift a sewer hook-up moratorium.</p><p>The moratorium, issued by the state, covers all municipalities served by DAMA in the Back Mountain.</p><p>&#8220;This is an attempt to configure the system to stop the invasion of stormwater,&#8221; said DAMA attorney Benjamin Jones III of the proposed changes.</p><p>The infiltration of ground and stormwater into DAMA&#8217;s system resulted in numerous overflows where untreated sewage was released into Toby Creek, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.</p><p>The authority had unpermitted discharges of untreated or inadequately treated sewage on March 5 and 20, 2008; Feb. 25 and 28, 2011; March 6 to March 15, 2011; April 28 to May 3, 2011; July 1, 2015; and March 27 to April 13, 2017, DEP reported.</p><p>As a result, in June, DEP issued a moratorium preventing DAMA from releasing any new public sewer connections until a plan was developed to prevent sewage overflows from its main pumping station into Toby Creek.</p><p>The proposal would allow the sewer authority to inspect a home&#8217;s sewer lateral pipe and look for illegal sewer connections, Jones said.</p><p>&#8220;The best time to do those inspections would be at the time of sale,&#8221; he explained.</p><p>The lateral sewer line is the privately owned pipe that connects a residence to the public sewer system.</p><p>Illegal connections often involve sump pumps and rain gutters attached to the sewer system.</p><p>The inspection fee would be charged to the property seller, said Tom Keiper, executive director of DAMA.</p><p>&#8220;We would have a third party inspector do the inspection,&#8221; Keiper said.</p><p>One resident questioned the proposal and asked if the $500 fee would still be applied if there were no violations found.</p><p>Keiper and Jones said it would.</p><p>Local real estate agent Brenda Pugh said the fee seems high for township residents.</p><p>&#8220;That is a significant change to the sellers&#8217; closing costs,&#8221; Pugh said. &#8220;We have properties selling back here for under $100,000.&#8221;</p><p>Jones said the debate over the fee should be discussed at the DAMA meeting, not at the township&#8217;s meeting.</p><p>The sewer authority board meets at 7 p.m. the second Thursday of the month, Keiper said.</p><p>&#8220;It is something new. It is a novel idea and therefore objectionable,&#8221; said Jones.</p><p>The next Dallas Township meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 in the municipal building.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_DEP-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_DEP-1.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Proposed sewer-inspection fee sparks debate in Back Mountain