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Honesdale Gets Grant to Upgrade Sewers

Release Date: 8/16/2000
Contact Information: Roy Seneca, (215) 814-5567

Roy Seneca, 215-814-5567

HONESDALE, Pa. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $380,080 grant to the Borough of Honesdale, Wayne County for sewer system improvements that will repair deteriorated sewer lines and help prevent untreated wastewater from flowing into the Lackawaxen River.

Funding will be used to replace part of the combined sewer system with separate sanitary and storm sewer lines, which will reduce the combined sewer overflows into the Lackawaxen River, a popular spot for trout fishing. During wet weather, untreated wastewater at the Honesdale sewage treatment plant is diverted directly to the river. Funding will also be used to repair or replace deteriorated sewer lines to prevent extraneous water from entering the system.

“Upgrading the Honesdale sewer system will prevent polluted waters from entering the stream and improve water quality. Combined sewer systems are a major cause of water pollution problems nationwide,” said Bradley M. Campbell, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

Upgrading the system could also permit more customers to hook up to the public sewer system. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection currently has banned new sewer connections until Honesdale eliminates the overload at the sewage treatment plant.

The federal grant will pay for 55 percent of the estimated $691,000 project, and the state will provide a loan for the balance.