THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
The provisions of the "Clean Streams Act"
of the Federal Government, enacted in 1957 made it mandatory for
the Borough of Beaver to build a sewage treatment plant. To that
end a charge of $2.00 was levied on the homeowners of Beaver on
each kitchen unit, starting in 1958. By 1963 the plant was constructed
at a cost of $665,000. Two circulars were sent to the residents
by the Borough Municipal Authority during the exploration period
when type, size and cost factors were to be determined. It reveals
the tenacity and perseverance of the members of that body not
to give in to edicts from governmental officials.
The Authority demanded to be allowed to use its own initiative
to investigate all aspects of the problem before committing the
borough government to preconceived, expensive and stereotyped
plans as to the system best suitable to the needs of the town
and before burdening the residents with a heavy financial load.
Their tenacity was proven very beneficial, not only in substantial
reduction of building costs but also in the total effectiveness
of the system they had chosen to purify the waste water before
it is discharged into the Ohio river.
The plans for a "Mechanical Sewage Treatment Plant"
proposed by the government experts provided for only 35 per cent
purification, which meant that a secondary treatment plant would
have to be built later, making the cost prohibitive. With the
"non-mechanical" system proposed and installed by the
Authority, the purity of the water is 90 per cent, with a single
plant and with considerable less cost than the plant proposed
by the government experts.