SHENANGO VALLEY Municipalities combine efforts to seek federal aid for sewer, water plant work

The application wants 45 percent of the cost to be paid by the 2004 omnibus appropriations bill.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- Shenango Valley municipalities are asking the federal government for more than $16 million in grants for sanitary sewer and water plant projects.
The municipalities involved had prepared separate grant applications seeking federal help through the 2004 omnibus appropriations bill but have now combined their requests into a joint application sent through the offices of U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-3rd, and U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum, R-Pa.
However, the federal government could choose to fund any portion of the application, said Mayor David O. Ryan of Sharon.
The projects have a total cost of $36.1 million, and the federal government is being asked to put up $16.3 million (45 percent) with the bulk of the rest coming from the participating municipalities.
The details
Sharon and the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority are facing a major expansion and renovation of the Sharon sewage treatment plant, which handles sewage from all of Sharon and Sharpsville and portions of South Pymatuning Township and Hermitage. The latter three municipalities make up the Upper Shenango Valley authority and will have to pay about one-third of the plant improvement cost.
Dean Dairy in South Pymatuning Township is a major contributor to the flow from the authority and will contribute to the project.
Hermitage and Jefferson Township are linked in a project to build a joint sewer line and pump station to serve areas along their common border that now have no municipal sewers but are plagued by failing on-lot septic systems.
The third project would be a new fresh water treatment plant for Sharpsville.
The joint application was filed this week.