REEDSVILLE — Concern has been brought to the attention of the Brown Township Board of Supervisors regarding the potential costs that will arise with the enforcement of a sewage facilities law by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Surveyor Bill Wright addressed the board at its Aug. 18 meeting following the completion of the playground survey he conducted to share his findings that the DEP may now be enforcing a specific part of Act 537 — a sewage facilities program — that had not previously been enforced.

“I was coming to the meeting anyway and you know, I just thought I’d tell you what I’m running into here,” shared Wright.

Act 537 is a plan concerning on-lot septic systems that is required by the Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that their septic systems all work properly. Under this plan, every resident in Brown Township is required to have their septic system inspected every four years.

However, there was a portion of Act 537 that was not being “enforced to the fullest extent,” said Brown Township Manager Teresa King, regarding the nitrate levels found when the system is inspected that will now be enforced: if the nitrate level is at a certain level upon inspection, a geological study will need to be done to determine the nitrate levels prior to building on the lot. This study will cost in the $3,000 range, she said.

Wright brought a map of Brown Township, updated in 2017, that displayed all the findings from the Act 537.

According to Wright, nitrates in the drinking water can be dangerous — especially for pregnant women and babies.

“Typically it happens when you have limestone,” shared Wright. “Of course you know about sinkholes and caves and a lot of the problems are back from when we had barn yards and a lot of cows in concentrated areas.”

At this time, the people that could be most affected by this would be individuals building a house on a property not near a public sewage system that will need an on-lot system.

“They would have to put an online system in and that does add some nitrates to the ground, so they want to make sure you’re not having a really bad problem and making it worse,” explained Wright.

The hydrogeologist would come out and check the neighbors wells and see what is already in the ground as far as nitrates to determine if there is too much risk.

According to Wright, there does not seem to be any difference in prices based on a single household versus a farmer extending their herd. The price will remain in the same range for the study.

The board discussed the possibility of finding a hydrogeologist closer to the area that may conduct the geological study at a lower price, but no decisions were made during the meeting.