Sewer Line Construction Upsets Lower Nazareth Residents

About 45 residents filled a meeting room in the Lower Nazareth Township Municipal Building Wednesday night to complain about problems related to a sewer line being installed along Christian Springs Road as part of a new development.

Their complaints? Water damage and standing water problems -- in one case costing a resident $7,000 for a related issue; lack of communication by officials, dust and an empty lot being used as a trash dump.

“There was no communication with homeowners,” said resident Carlton Glantz. “They failed us here.”

At one point, an official from Easton Suburban Water Authority admitted the authority had made some communication mistakes.

And supervisors chairman Eric Nagle told the residents, “We are trying to remediate this. Did we screw up in communication? Apparently we did."

In March, the supervisors granted Ashley Development Corp. approval for Trio Farms, which will consist of 320 houses -- 180 townhouses and 140 single-family homes. The Christian Springs Road homes are not part of the development.

The new main sewer line will tie into a line east of Route 191 and run to the Trio Farms development and down Christian Springs Road, which is why only a handful of residents are affected.

In May, between the township and the Nazareth Municipal Sewer Authority that would allow Christian Springs residents the option -- instead of the requirement -- to hook up to the new sewer line.

Construction on the sewer line began in late June, according to township manager Timm Tenges. The work is being done by Chrin Excavating, who was hired by Ashley Development.

Several residents said there is too much dust from construction. Others said an empty lot nearby is being used by the construction crew as a trash dump.

“If it was in front of my house, I would feel identical to these people,” Tenges said about the trashed lot.

Township engineer Albert Kortze said Chrin Excavating has stepped in and restored the lot to its original grade prior to the dumping.

Tenges added that Chrin will also make repairs to the temporary cartway, or a rough, unimproved road. The township has decided to let the ground settle over winter and plans to finish the road by June 2012.

According to sketches from Keystone Consulting Engineers Inc. in Bethlehem, the new roadway of Christian Springs Road will consist of an 8-inch-deep cement stabilization layer and a 3-inch wearing layer on top. It will be 20 feet wide with a 2 to 3 percent slope from the center line.

For Glantz, who resides at 4359 Christian Springs Road, the lack of communication goes to the heart of the residents’ issues.

The water authority's White admitted his organization made some communication mistakes. He said the authority always contacts residents when it begins putting in a main line, but this time did not.

“The authority missed the bus on that one,” White said, and apologized for the lack of notification.

The authority came out and replaced old water lines because Tenges had asked for the work to be done while Christian Springs Road was being redone. Tenges thought it was better to do the work now than in a few years. If the water lines were replaced later, the road would have to be torn up again.

Many other residents were upset about standing water problems, driveways and landscaping ruined by water, and yards filling with ponding water.

Kortze explained that Christian Springs Road is in a low-lying area with a high ground water table.

Mike Cunningham of 4315 Christian Springs Road said he has lived in his house for 34 years. Now, he has a pond in his yard.

Robert Rutan of 4288 Christian Springs Road said he had four feet of water in his driveway. He repaired the damage, only to be told by the township that he had disturbed a wetland. Rutan said it cost him $7,000 to hire an engineer to say that he didn’t fill a wetland.

“You should have had a plan instead of shooting from the hip," Rutan told Tenges and the supervisors.

Several residents said they don’t think the township has a distinct plan for this roadway. They said they think decisions are being made as needed, instead of being thought out well in advance.