The little borough of Bally, population approximately 1,300, has big sewer problems.  And they are slated to come with a big price tag.

                When it rains the borough's aging clay storm sewer lines overflow.  The water overflow causes manholes to open and rushes in big volume into the borough sewer plant, officials said.

                The problem is called "infiltration and inflow (I&I)," a violation of state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations.

On Tuesday night Bally Borough Council heard a lengthy presentation from its engineer Thomas Unger, P.E., System Design Engineering and Project Manager Matt Peleschak on how the problems with the borough storm sewer system could be corrected.

                Peleschak explained the engineer's primary focus is to reduce overflow and clean water going into the sewer system.  Then, the engineers plan to fix the rest of the system over the long term.  He noted Bally's storm sewer system is in dire need of repair and its lateral sewer lines are "the worst." 

The fix is estimated to cost the borough $2 million.

Currently, DEP does not permit Bally to allow any additional sewer connections.  The sewer moratorium will remain in effect until Bally resolves its infiltration problems caused by stormwater runoff.  DEP has required Bally to file a corrective action plan for the stormwater overflow or face fines of up to $10,000 per day.  The borough has until August 15, 2015 to file its plan with DEP. 

                In March, borough sewer lines were televised and its manholes were inspected.  It was determined the majority of the water overflow is coming from the area north of Route 100.  Peleschak explained that 33 percent of the lateral sewer lines that run from the street into private property leak at the rate of 5 gallons a minute during a storm. 

"That is an enormous amount of water," he said.

Most of the lateral line leaks occurred in the borough's section of pipe because the sections of pipe that are located on private property are made of cast iron, not clay. 

                Peleschak explained cast iron rarely leaks.  He noted of the 270 lateral sewer lines that were checked 89 leaked at a rate of 380,000 gallons a day, 67 pipes leaked at a rate of 310,000 gallons a day, and 12 manholes leaked at a rate of 62,000 gallons a day.  Peleschak said during a rain event roughly 740,000 gallons a day are rushing into the borough's sewer plant.  That plant's capacity is 500,000 per day. 

                The borough engineers presented several options to resolve the I&I problems at the sewer plant and the storm sewer lines that run throughout the borough.  To repair the problem, Peleschak recommended a trenchless system that would cover the leaking clay pipes with a PVC coating. 

He explained to dig up the old clay pipe and replace the entire system with new PVC pipe would be very expensive.  The least costly estimate of $1,474,000 to patch each leak individually would repair the worst infiltration but would not remove much water from the sewer system.

                Peleschak explained it would simply cause the water to move to a different spot.  The alternative, at a cost of $1,545,000, would repair two entire sections, around 8th Street and North Church Street, where leaks are the worst.  He explained to repair all those leaks would remove a great deal of water overflow into the system. 

In addition, another $256,000 is necessary to repair the long sewer lines into the sewer plant.  Peleschak recommended the borough council "chew on it" for a month.  It will take at least a year to make all the repairs once Bally can find a way to finance the project.

Borough Councilman Ron Gilbert quipped to Peleschak, "Thanks for all the good news."  

"I did not want to sugarcoat it," Peleschak remarked.

Gilbert laughingly responded, "Believe me, you didn't." 

                In other borough matters, Borough Solicitor Matt Doll informed council that the borough received a conditional use application from Mike Tallerico to establish a tattoo parlor on the second floor of the Bally Hotel located on Main Street.  The tattoo parlor would have its own entrance.  The Bally Hotel has multi-use zoning. 

Doll explained that while the tattoo parlor might be permitted under the borough's current zoning, council must decide the matter at a public hearing.  Additionally, the hearing must be advertised and notice must be given to immediate neighbors of the property. 

                Borough officials announced streets will be swept on Monday, April 20.