White Oak wants sewage problems addressed

By Rich Cholodofsky

White Oak officials said Friday the borough’s residents have had enough with the torrential rains that have repeatedly resulted in basements flooded with sewage.

“What’s happening is pitiful,” Councilman Steven Pholar told members of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County at the start of the agency’s July meeting of its board of directors. “We are not blaming you, but it is a problem that needs to be fixed.”

Borough officials said as many as 50 homes in the small Allegheny County community have routinely seen basements inundated with water and waste as the town’s sewer system continues to overflow during times of heavy rains. It’s a problem that has persisted for years with little to no corrective measures being implemented, they contend.

“We have some people who are really hurting, citizens with literally a wall of water in their basements,” said Councilman Lou Bender.

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