Sewage Plant Struck Down by Township

Plans for a sewage treatment plant off the Newtown Bypass have been axed by the township Board of Supervisors.

More than 100 residents packed the Newtown Township Board of Supervisor's meeting Wednesday to demand a $68 million sewage treatment plant not be allowed to open off the bypass behind George School.

In a unanimous vote, the board decided to exclude the sewage treatment plant as an option in the municipality’s Act 537 Plan. 

An Act 537 Plan is a document that maps how municipalities handle sewage.

Additionally, the board requested that Township Manager Kurt Ferguson send a letter to the Newtown Joint Municipal Authority Board requesting they “cease further exploration” into the plant.

Numerous residents made their case during the public comment portion of the meeting. A vote on the issue was not scheduled on the agenda; board members said they felt compelled to take action due to the strong feelings of the many residents.

The plant, which was proposed to be located at the site of the shuttered sewage treatment facility behind George School, would be located just a few hundred feet from the Crown Pointe neighborhood.

Residents, concerned about the prospect of the plant, launched a campaign against the proposal, which has been put forth by the Newtown Joint Municipal Authority Board. 

The joint board, which oversees sewage treatment in Newtown borough and township, has said the plant is likely the best option to deal with the area’s increasing sewage. 

The township is currently in the process of updating its Act 537 plan. If the plan was crafted to include the proposal for a sewage treatment plant as an option, then it could not later be rejected, officials have said.

The Act 537 plan will be complete in six months to a year, officials have said, and the Board of Supervisors have the final vote as to what is included in that plan.