Milford details new sewage plans

On Sept. 30, the Milford Borough Planning Commission shared a revised version of the plan to install a sewage system in town. As part of a 13-slide PowerPoint presentation, the Commission broke down what the work will entail and where.

The main pipeline will run beneath Harford Street, where it will connect to Milford Township, and up Broad Street to George Street, connecting with the Westfall Township. The pipeline will serve the commercial district within Milford Borough, as Milford Township is no longer a participant in the plans and has been removed.

The sewage system will require grinder pumps to be installed where current septic systems are, so there will not be any changes to properties. The grinder pumps have been included in the project cost but will become the homeowner’s property and responsibility, including extending power out to the control panel at the homeowner’s expense. There will be a mandatory connection ordinance for the commercial district as required by funding agencies. The low-pressure system was chosen due to it being the lowest cost per user.

The 2020-21 Milford Borough Comprehensive Plan also recommended wastewater treatment as beneficial to the community’s health. A 2020 survey showed that over 60% of those with an opinion favored centralized wastewater treatment for the commercial district, according to the Planning Commission.

Milford Water Authority will own and operate the sewer collection system within the Borough and the line running through Milford Township, and be responsible for upkeeping the system. The Planning Commission said the Borough will also need to develop and adopt an ordinance governing the management of on-lot disposal systems (OLDS) within three years.

With three wastewater treatment facilities in Westfall Township, permitting flows include: Westfall Treatment Plant, DVSD, and Milford Senior Care. The plan noted that hydraulic analysis confirms that the plant has sufficient capacity for the proposed alternatives.

Pending approval by the DEP, the Planning Commission said the installation and completion of the project is estimated to take seven years and cost $7.5 million; 45% of funding has been financed through grants with additional funding expected, as Milford Borough is an underserved community, the Planning Commission explained. Grant applications and other funding sources would be used to lower the cost before the start of the project.

A 30-day public hearing will be advertised and held for this revised plan. the Planning Commission also noted that the project is contingent upon that additional funding, plus a finalized multi-municipal agreement among the three municipalities, as well as the Milford Water Authority, Municipality Authority of the Township of Westfall, and Matamoras Municipality Authority.