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EPA AWARDS $500,000 GRANT TO BRATTON TOWNSHIP TO BUILD SEWERS AND PROTECT DRINKING WATER

Release Date: 2/17/1999
Contact Information: Bonnie J. Smith (215) 814-5543

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $500,000 construction grant to Bratton Township in Mifflin County to pay for new sewer lines to 160 homes in the township.  The new lines will prevent raw sewage from seeping into ground water from residential septic systems.

The current septic systems are failing, polluting ground water and drinking water wells and discharging raw sewage into the Juniata River.  The sewage will be treated at the McVeytown Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Residents of Bratton Township depend entirely on private wells and springs for their drinking water.  Recently, 32 percent of wells tested did not meet drinking water standards for fecal coliform.  EPA tests for fecal coliform because there is a correlation between disease-causing bacteria and high levels of fecal coliform.  Disease-causing bacteria commonly cause stomach upset and diarrhea, but can cause more serious health effects.

"The project should go a long way to improving the health and well being of citizens living in the area.  It will not only improve their standard of living, but also protect the surrounding environment, including precious ground water," said W. Michael McCabe, EPA Regional Administrator.

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