Our History
Prior to the establishment of the Mountaintop Area Joint Sanitary Authority, soil conditions in the Mountain Top area caused malfunctioning lot septic systems to introduce untreated or inadequately treated sewage into the waters of the Commonwealth.
In April of 1972 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources issued orders to Wright and Fairview Townships to rectify this situation. In October of 1973 The Mountaintop Area Joint Sanitary Authority was organized by the Townships to design and build a regional collection system and treatment plant. In July of 1976 Rice Township became the third member of the Authority.
The collection and treatment system were designed to serve the developed areas of the three Townships and encompass the drainage basin of two major watersheds, the Big Wapwallopen and Little Wapwallopen creeks. Both of these are tributaries of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River.
The treatment facility began operation in 1979. The original NPDES permit allowed the discharge of 1.83 MGD to the Big Wapwallopen Creek. During the past 15 years, several upgrades have occurred. In 1991, the plant underwent substantial improvements and was re-rated and permitted to discharge 2.4 MGD. In 1995, additional modifications allowed the facility to be re-rated and permitted to discharge 2.85 million gallons per day.
The continued residential, commercial, and industrial growth soon caught up with these upgrades and after years of planning a major plant expansion and modernization was necessary. Construction began in 2000 and was completed in 2002. This expansion has the treatment facility in a position to meet future growth for years to come. In 2005 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources adopted a Chesapeake Bay Initiative aimed at reducing the nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. Beginning in 2006 the facility was again modified to meet Nitrogen and Phosphate limits set by this initiative. The limits are met using Biological Nutrient Reduction as well as the addition of a chemical to enhance settling of phosphates.
The original concept and design of the treatment facility assumed that the Authority offices would be leased off the plant premises. During the operational infancy of the facility, as a cost savings measure, the business and administrative offices were relocated to an area of the plant that was originally designed to be an operator/laboratory area. This move resulted in extremely cramped operating conditions. The decline of interest rates in 1992 made it economically feasible for the Authority to refinance its bond issue. The savings were used to finance a majority of the cost of constructing an administrative office and vehicle maintenance/storage garage. This building provides the Authority with administrative and business office space, as well as a meeting room and storage space for road equipment.
Looking back, the Mountaintop Area Joint Sanitary Authority offices and its waste water treatment facility have undergone extensive changes over the past 15 years. These modifications have enabled the Authority to meet the ever-changing needs of a growing community in terms of waste water treatment, while at the same time, maximize the operational efficiency of the treatment system itself.
In memory of ...
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