The new year should be much more pleasant for residents and visitors near Sumpter and Willis roads in Sumpter Township where the main pump house for the sewer system is located.
Members of the board of trustees approved the recommendation of DPW Director John Danci to purchase a Bio Air System for odor remediation at the site at a cost not to exceed $98,552.73, during the Dec. 14 meeting. Trustees wanted to be sure that the expense would provide the odor and corrosion control needed in the area which has been the subject of complaints from residents for years.
Danci explained that the one-year warranty on the system was an industry standard but that the township had the option of extending the guarantee. He said the odor control would be a non-issue “as soon as we get the hydrogen sulfide levels back down to where they are supposed to be.” He said reducing those chemical levels would also “take care of the corrosion” experienced at the site.
Trustee Don Laporte inquired as to the life of the new Bio Air System and Danci said that the township should not have to rebuild the system “ever again.” He said the new system is “supposed to handle the problem indefinitely.”
LaPorte said his concern was that “another board in 10 or 15 years is doing the same thing.”
Trustee, and recently appointed deputy supervisor, Tim Rush said that the township had already funded major work at the corner caused by the corrosive effects of the hydrogen sulfide.
“Hydrogen sulfide is nasty, highly corrosive. Between rebuilding the control panel and pit work, we have spent about $130,000 already,” he told the board members.
Supervisor Tim Bowman expressed some concern that the contract required the township to provide materials for the system which Danci explained were specifications in the contract prior to his employment.
“The bid is for exactly what we need for the site,” Danci said.
The contract for the odor remediation and control system was approved by a unanimous vote of the board members.
