East Coventry’s plan to sell its sewer system has prompted opposition from North Coventry Municipal Authority. In August 2023, the East Coventry Board of Supervisors voted to sell the sewer collections system to Pennsylvania American Water for $7 million. The decision was prompted by the urging of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the township to undertake a $27 million project to provide public sewers to the Parker Ford area of the township, where many on-lot septic systems are malfunctioning. The new sewer collection system is planned for 384 dwelling units with a capacity for an additional 70 to accommodate growth. Rather than build a new sewer plant ($31 million) or send the flow to East Vincent ($29.3 million), the option chosen by the township as the least expensive is to send the flow to the sewer treatment plant in North Coventry, where the current system, which serves 1,100 customers, flows under a longstanding agreement among the North Coventry Municipal Authority and East and North Coventry townships. However, the North Coventry Municipal Authority, which owns and operates the treatment plant, is not on board with the sale of the system and is refusing to transfer the treatment agreement from East Coventry to Pennsylvania American. Gregory Phillips, the municipal authority’s solicitor, indicated that the authority has no desire to be regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission. In a letter sent to East Coventry in December 2023, Phillips suggested that East Coventry “cancel” the agreement to sell to Pennsylvania American and work with the authority to get sewers to Parker Ford.
Source: Daily Local; 2/3/2024