After months of searching, officials say they are hopeful they have an answer to the yearlong odor problem caused by Scott Twp.'s five pump stations - and it's a much cheaper alternative than the solution originally proposed.
Supervisor and sewer authority member Michael Giannetta said Monday an odor-control solution installed at one pump station about 10 days ago has cut the smell around the station by 80 percent.
Today, officials will begin digging a trench and installing pipes behind the Joe Terry Civic Center at pump station No. 6.
"We wanted to see how it worked before we installed it at every station, but it made a significant difference," Mr. Giannetta said. "Engineers from RUS (Rural Utilities Service) actually brought this to our attention. It is actually used in counties throughout Central Pennsylvania."
Described as being similar to a leach bed, which is used to remove contaminants from the liquid pumped from a septic tank, the process calls for a 20-foot plastic pipe to be attached to the pump station's existing vent pipe.
From there, the pipe is funneled underground to a trench - 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and at least 20 feet long - where the air, not liquid, is then released.
By the time the air rises above the soil, the odor should be gone, said board member Dennis Davison, who helped install the pipe at pump station No. 8 on Green Grove Road.
The estimated $2,500 that officials would spend to install the solution at the five pump stations is significantly cheaper than the $15,000 they would pay annually if they decided to move forward with the chemical treatment plan proposed to them in early January, Mr. Giannetta said.
If installed properly, the underground odor-control solution could be a long-term fix to the problem that has existed since summer 2011, when installation on the pump stations was deemed complete.
"It could be a huge plus for the ratepayers because, in the end, that is where the funding comes from," Mr. Giannetta said.
As far as the odor still lingering outside pump station No. 8, both Mr. Giannetta and Mr. Davison said officials are looking at ways to seal the pump station - particularly the doors that open into the vault.
"We are finding that the odor is escaping from around the lid," Mr. Davison said. "If we can cut that down as well, we can fix the entire odor problem."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter