Taking care of the aquifer

 

To the Editor:

 

I agree with Florence Cook’s concern about the threat to the aquifer expressed in her letter of Sept. 10. I spoke out at the Doylestown Township sewer proposal meeting at on Aug. 7 about this issue. I also handed a copy of my concerns to the supervisors. I have yet to see my suggestions addressed. They include:

 

1. Give the septic maintenance program time to prove its effectiveness.

 

2. If sewers are to be implemented, the water drawn from the aquifer will cause dry wells and a plan for replenishment must be addressed, especially when the processed water would flow into Neshaminy Creek rather than into the aquifer. This would lead to a water resource disaster.

 

3. My suggestion is to immediately install berms, swales and catch basins or holding areas for storm water along side the roadways. This will allow the rain water to seep down into the aquifer rather than flowing into the creeks, creating potential downstream flooding problems. Keep the water in the same area. Make sure the rain water collected from roofs is not in conflict with the septic systems on the property and flows directly into these swales.

 

This storm water approach should be required even though the sewers are not implemented. This is because of the concern that Florence Cook raised about requiring to dig deeper and deeper for water because of the population explosion in the area.

 

Norman Melling

Doylestown Township