West Penn Township continues to address issues concerning its Act 537 sewage facilities plan.

The township's board of supervisors last week agreed to have the sewage enforcement officer investigate and correct malfunctioning systems.Bill Varano, co-chairman of the West Penn/Walker Township Joint Sewer Committee, said the township must meet guidelines of the state Department of Environmental Protection."DEP or Pennvest have no money to give us," Varano said.Varano previously said DEP is pushing for the townships to put in small community systems.OptionsAt a joint public meeting in January, both Walker and West Penn's boards of supervisors tabled resolutions for revisions to their Act 537 plan.The boards requested a meeting with DEP and the West Penn/Walker Township Joint Sewer Committee, and to discuss a time extension with DEP.Engineer Charles Myers of Rettew Associates, outlined three options at the joint meeting.One option is a community on-lot disposal system to each of the South Tamaqua, Andreas, Clamtown, Snyders and Reynolds at a cost of over $1 million. The costs would include five systems, legal fees, engineering fees, property acquisition and several contingencies.A second option is for multiple treatment plants to serve the five areas, which would cost substantially more.Another option is an on-lot disposal system, where the 30 residences would either repair or replace their current system.Myers said at that time that was the preferred option, because there are no big infrastructure costs.Walker Township engineer Dave Horst said there were 30 units, 24 in West Penn, and six in Walker, that the plan identifies as potentially needing a community on-lot sewage disposal.Horst said of the units in West Penn, 12 are in South Tamaqua, six in Andreas, four in Clamtown, and two in Snyders; while the remaining six are in Reynolds in Walker.Myers said the preferred option remains an on-lot disposal system, where the 30 residences would either repair or replace their current system.DEP wants a solution presented in the plan for every user. If there are any users that cannot do on-lot systems, they have to have access to a community system.Long historyWork on the plan has been ongoing since 2003, when Ludgate Engineering Firm developed a community sewage plan with a $17 million price tag.On Oct. 18, 2013, DEP received the updated plan prepared by Rettew Associates Inc., and incorporated the Ludgate Engineering Corporation's March 5, 2007, submission.The plan proposed a sewage management program for each municipality, and corrective cluster or small community on-lot sewage disposal facilities, but DEP kicked it back as incomplete.Rettew Associates revised the plan and resubmitted it in November 2014.Former West Penn Township solicitor Gretchen Stearns said after a time lapse she contacted DEP and was told that the plan had been misplaced.Rettew resubmitted the plan.