The Authority of the Borough of Charleroi – Sewage Department

The Authority’s Sewage Department, additional Staff, Management, and Engineers continue to work to eliminate the problem of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO). The system here was originally designed and constructed through the 1950s to convey both sanitary sewage and storm runoff together. Since 1972, the United States EPA has been implementing programs under the “Clean Water Act” to monitor and control CSOs to reduce contaminants in our natural water sources. Because portions of the sewer systems that convey sewage to the Authority’ sewage plant for treatment act as combined systems during periods of heavy rainfall and snow-melt, runoff flow in the sewers increases, and the excess flow is diverted to a combined sewer overflow system that discharges into the river, including a portion of sanitary sewage flow that is untreated. These discharges are monitored and reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.