Plumstead is considering a legal agreement that would expand the county sewer authority's footprint in town, a proposal that led to shouting Tuesday night between divided residents and supervisors.

 

The pact, which is still being negotiated, would allow Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority to be the exclusive public provider for an area that would include the stretch between Routes 611 and 413, said Supervisor Housley Carr, an opponent of the deal.

 

The agreement would settle a 2005 lawsuit the sewer authority brought against Plumstead that charges the township broke a 1978 deal in which it promised to stay out of the sewage business.

 

The suit was filed after Plumstead approved three developments that called for site-specific sewer treatment plants that would be run by the township. One, the Estates at Timberly Farm , has since been built.

 

Tuesday's debate featured one side that said extended sewer service could hurt Plumstead's rural character, the availability of its water, and its ability to limit future development.

 

“What you're saying is let's have a new Levittown, because that's what you're doing here,” Carr said.

 

The other side argued that pocket treatment plants have proven ineffectual, and have indeed been eliminated as an option in future proposals.

 

They maintained a well-run sewer system is better for the environment, while zoning and planning can be used to limit growth.

“You have to have water and you have to dispose of sewage,” said Supervisor Vince Formica.

 

Though not stated explicitly, discussion implied that the three site-specific sewer developments could be switched to Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, a prospect that Timberly Farm residents hailed due to hefty bills on their township-run plant.

 

Tim Forsthoefel, a Timberly Farm resident, said Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority is better equipped to oversee complicated sewer issues than the town.

 

“I want the experts to manage that, not a hodgepodge of free-standing systems,” he said.

 

Opponents said limits on sewer availability are one of the few ways in which townships can fight development proposals. By allowing expanded public sewers, that brake isn't possible, they said.

Others, including the Plumstead Environmental Advisory Council, urged the board to conduct a study on Plumstead's water availability, which they said would be reduced should Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority expand in the township.

Still others bristled over a lack of details about what was being negotiated.

“I want to know if we're being sold out,” said Mindy Alvare, a Point Pleasant village resident who lives on State Park Road. “I want to know what they have to gain.”

The chairman of the board said specifics cannot be provided until after a final agreement has been reached on the suit.

“It's hard negotiating in public,” said Frank Froio. “It's kind of like playing poker when you have to show someone the cards you are playing with.”

In filing its suit, the sewer authority argued it invested heavily in Plumstead three decades ago, with new ratepayers supposed to be the future payoff.

By keeping sewer service from the authority, the township was hurting ratepayers across the county, sewer officials have said.

Patrick Cleary, the spokesman for the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, said he could not comment because the settlement is still being negotiated.

A call to the authority's attorney, Jeff Garton, was not returned.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-04182007-1332333.html