About half of some 70 residential properties in a section of Torresdale have no public sewer service, according to a recent Philadelphia Water Department study. And many, perhaps most of the homeowners have no interest in getting hooked up, despite periodic flooding and sewage back-ups — even in light of a new water department plan to install sewers in the neighborhood.
Some objectors emphatically criticized the water department’s proposal and methodology during the monthly meeting of the East Torresdale Civic Association on Nov. 10.
One man insisted that neighbors had met privately and a majority of them said “no” to the project, which would cost private sewer and septic tank users thousands of dollars in up-front plumbing costs, plus hundreds in installation surcharges from the city.
A woman commented that she also attended the private meeting and witnessed some opposition to the proposal, but she did not recall a “no” vote on the subject. Rather, folks generally resolved to allow the water department to study local wastewater and stormwater systems further, she said.
A second woman reported that she corresponded via email with neighbors after the private meeting and that the content of those emails “shows that eighty percent of people have no interest in it.”
Joanne Dahme, the water department’s public affairs manager, said that the community’s request for solutions to the area’s drainage problems prompted the city’s interest in the first place. The study area covers from Grant Avenue south to Fitler Street (including homes on the south side of Fitler) and from James Street west to Milnor Street.
The city’s sanitary (or wastewater) sewers run underneath Grant Avenue (4900 to 5100 blocks), James Street (9600 block), State Road (9600 block), Milnor Street (9600 block) and Fitler Street (4900 block). There are no city sewers on the 9600 block of Wissinoming Street or the 5000 and 5100 blocks of Fitler Street.
On those blocks, the water department’s research revealed that at least 30 of 68 residential properties have public sewer service. The department was unable to determine the status of 10 properties. Meanwhile, 28 properties have some form of private system to dispose of sewage. A lot of those folks tie into a private underground sewer that runs mostly parallel with Grant Avenue from the middle of the 9600 block of State Road to the middle of the 9600 block of Milnor Street.
Dahme said that the city proposes to install sanitary and storm sewers along Fitler and Wissinoming streets. Residents would be obligated to connect. She explained that the city’s wastewater and stormwater systems are separate, with stormwater draining into local streams and wastewater pumped to a treatment plant. But during heavy rains stormwater can infiltrate the sanitary system and fill it to capacity.
One advantage to public sewers is maintenance, Dahme said. The city is powerless to maintain or repair private sewers, which may not meet city specifications. Neighbors are solely responsible for them.
Once a public sewer is installed, the city covers all maintenance and repair costs, although homeowners must hire private plumbers to install and maintain the lateral pipes that connect to the city’s mains.
Some residents insisted that the city and irresponsible builders are mainly responsible for the area’s drainage problems by allowing and conducting excessive construction that overburdens the infrastructure.
Further, one woman claimed that when really big rainfalls occur, a city-owned sewage pumping station on Milnor Street seems to shut down and the whole water disposal system backs up.
Dahme replied that new development actually benefits stormwater management under new standards that require water retention features. As for the localized back-ups, she added, “I think that shows you have an incomplete system here.” ••
