Cumberland Township seeks CDBG funding for Nemacolin sewer upgrades
Change could be on the way for the century-old terracotta pipes of the Nemacolin sewer system.
Thursday night, the Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on Community Development Block Grant requests for funding to address necessary sewer system upgrades.
Nemacolin Inc., the citizen group overseeing sewerage for the town, has been trying to stay on top of maintenance with patch repairs, said Marcia Sonneborn, community development administrator for Cumberland Township. But the level of infiltration in the aging pipes will require a larger funding block.
“The infiltration is coming from the fact that No. 1, it’s terracotta lines,” said Angie Visneski, president of Nemacolin Inc. “Number two, that we have a lot of root systems invading.”
First, the township is looking to replace previously awarded 2024 CDBG funding of $97,725 for township-wide housing rehabilitation with an equal amount for Nemacolin sewer improvements. Sonneborn said the housing project had been submitted as a placeholder until the township could complete a survey demonstrating that Nemacolin qualified for CDBG’s low- to moderate-income requirements.
The township will also submit a request for competitive 2025 CDBG funding for more extensive repairs. Last year’s request of $1 million was denied. To have a better chance of getting part of the state’s $5 million competitive funding set aside, the township will reduce this year’s request to somewhere between $500,000 and $750,000, Sonneborn said.
“We will probably pare down and find within the study we did of the Nemacolin sewer system what would be the next most pressing items, and decide how much we want to apply for,” she said.
During public comment, Visneski singled out a cracked line in a section running along Sheridan Lane.
For the first grant, Sonneborn is looking at replacing several of the hand-built brick manholes that have started to deteriorate.
In its study of the sewer system, K2 Engineering identified about 20 around Nemacolin in need of replacement.
After Thursday’s hearing, the requests will go to the Cumberland Township board for approval in mid-August, and then to the county board.