Law requires sewer check

HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Anyone owning a building tapped into the city's sanitary sewer system will have to pay $125 for a city certificate assuring that the system is working properly before they can sell that property.
City commissioners are under pressure from the state Department of Environmental Protection to eliminate storm water infiltration into the sanitary sewer system.
They have enacted an ordinance requiring that before buildings or homes tied to the sanitary system can be sold, they must undergo an inspection to be sure downspouts and other surface water drains aren't connected to the sanitary line.
The commissioners also set fees to cover the cost of that inspection.
It's $125 for an initial inspection and $100 for each additional inspection that might be required.
The commissioners held a public hearing on the proposal last week before taking a final vote on the ordinance setting up the inspection but only one city resident asked questions about the plan.
City Manager Gary Hinkson said the certification process is spelled out in a consent order and agreement the city has signed with the DEP in which the city promises to eliminate surface water infiltration into the sanitary system.
Hermitage, under that same consent order, is spending about $15 million to improve existing sanitary lines to eliminate overflows and other problems.