Frequently Asked Questions

---

The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors did, in fact, publicly oppose the Sewer Authority's sewer plant project during the public meeting on 2/12/2025. The Board of Supervisors also directed the Township Manager to send a strongly worded letter to the Sewer Authority informing the Authority of the opposition of the plant and to stop moving forward with the plant. 

This is NOT over until the NBCJMA has fully canceled the project in writing, and publicly. The SNSP effort will continue until we are satisfied that plant has been fully stopped and better transparency is present at the NBCJMA.

The Authority was jointly created by Ordinance adopted by Newtown Township and Newtown Borough in May of 1961. A wastewater treatment plant was built behind the George School and operated until 1988 when it closed. All Township and Borough wastewater has since been safely sent to a regional wastewater plant in Philadelphia through a large “interceptor” pipe operated by the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA). The sewer authority condemned 17.5 acres of land on Lower Silver Lake Road very near the Wawa under construction along the Newtown Bypass through an eminent domain taking in May of 2024. The purpose is to build a new, 2.5 million gallon per day treatment plant. At its December meeting, the Newtown Supervisors also entertained discussion with Sewer Authority officials regarding an invitation to other nearby towns (Wrightstown was specifically mentioned) to make the plant even larger. The sewer authority is managed by a Board of Directors with 3 members appointed by the Boards of Supervisors of both the Township and Borough. 

Yes. The executed eminent domain documents can be found on this website under Related links or here. Eminent Domain is a centuries-old right of a government or its agent (in this case the Sewer Authority) to take private property for public use, with payment of just compensation. The Sewer Authority exercised this extraordinary use of police power to take the 17.5 acres of land from a private land owner, which was approved through a proceeding before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas, in May, 2024. 

Yes. The Sewer Authority made an attempt to re-develop a standalone sewer plant in 2013 at the site formerly used in back of the George School off Route 413. This same site was operated by the Newtown Sewer Authority as a treatment plant from the 1960’s until 1988 when that facility was closed in line with the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s support for use of regional facilities. In 2013, strong opposition was mounted by residents of the Crown Pointe development. In September, 2013, the Newtown Township supervisors voted 5-0 to not include the treatment plant in the township’s upcoming Act 537 water quality management plan, thus killing the proposal. Beyond this, the Sewer Authority allegedly performed an “Alternatives Evaluation,” but this document has not been made publicly available. The “Stop the Sewer Plant” team did file a Right to Know public access petition to obtain this document. Here is a link to a September 15, 2013 article which summarizes the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting where the project was unanimously voted down. 

https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/opinion/columns/2013/09/15/newtown-township-supervisors-unanimously-oppose/17958508007/. According to the Sewer Authority engineer at a December 2024 presentation to the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors, the Authority did reevaluate use of the former site behind the George School, but determined it was too small. 

To make money. According to the sewer authority FAQ on their website, to avoid “uncontrollable rate increases” from the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA) and City of Philadelphia for treatment plant upgrades and long-term control plans required by the PA Department of Environmental Protection.  However, the authority has already been increasing the rates and moving this project forward using the 9,000 Newtown ratepayers (ex. 47% increase to Newtown January, 2025).  The “Stop the Sewer Plant” Technical Committee has reviewed cost projections from the sewer authority and from the BCWSA. A white paper on comparative economics is being prepared and will be available soon.

Several residents of the Swan Pointe Development in Middletown first became aware of the sewer authority's plan to build a new treatment plant in September  2024 after the land was already condemned and taken. In November, 2024  the opposition movement began expanding and organizing. Residents in other developments in Middletown and Newtown Township and Borough have since joined the opposition along with local businesses. 

Key opposition movement volunteers include career-long environmental planners and scientists, a risk assessment engineer, a toxicologist, lawyers, financial analysts, a software engineer, and several health care professionals. More detail can be found in our blog - In The Stink Zone.

Our mission is to preserve our lovely resident communities and beloved local waterways and parks by preventing the unnecessary construction of the sewer plant in a highly populated residential and business area in Newtown and adjacent Middletown Township. 

The SNSP opposition movement is garnishing its combined residential expertise to present informed, objective responses grounded in science and law to inform the broader Lower Bucks County Community and to bring our concerns to the rightful government entities. The Opposition Movement is engaged at all levels of the Middletown and Newtown Borough and Township Government: Board of Supervisors; Environmental Advisory Councils, Planning Commissions, Zoning Boards, Joint Newtown Sewer Authority and the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority. In addition, we are working with our local state representatives and Congressional delegation to preserve the environmental integrity and quality of life that we enjoy today. If this effort is of value to you please considering donating to the cause.

According to authority board members, they have not. However, board members and their consultants from a company called Gennett Fleming, did visit a facility in Kansas outside of Kansas City. Background on this Wolcott Treatment Plant can be found here along with a short video: https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/wolcott-wastewater-treatment-plant-expansion. Note the extremely rural nature of the project site with a low probability of community impact compared to the Lower Silver Lake Road site. This technology, called “aerated granular sludge treatment” is relatively new to the United States and has a very limited track record. 

The sewer authority claims it is, but their actions to date clearly indicate otherwise. As noted, they used the rarely employed police power of eminent domain to condemn and take the property from a private landowner in May, 2024. They allegedly paid approximately $9 million in ratepayer dollars to pay the land owner as “just compensation” for the taking of their privately owned land. According to the sewer authority July meeting minutes, they authorized their consultant, Gannett Fleming, to advance to the 30% engineering phase of project development, which has been completed according to the October authority meeting minutes. They have a completed site plan. Two board members and four representatives of Gannett Fleming took a field trip to visit the Wolcott, Kansas treatment plant. Finally, the authority's September meeting minutes indicate that the authority has hired PFM Financial Advisors, LLC to render professional services related to the financing of a wastewater treatment facility. These actions are clearly not “preliminary” and indicate that the authority has every intention of proceeding to build a new treatment plant along Lower Silver Lake Road. 

Yes. The sewer authority is an independent, quasi-governmental body that can condemn land and finance projects without direct supervision from either Newtown Township or Borough. This being said, both the Township and Borough and the Bucks County Planning Board must approve any changes to the Act 537 Water Quality Management Plan. This plan, last updated and approved in 2020, calls for Newtown Township and Borough wastewater to be managed through the BCWSA regional system. Both Township Supervisor Boards and the County will have an opportunity to vote on any proposed changes to the Act 537 Plan should the sewer authority pursue building a new treatment plant. The SNSP opposition is working on a summary of the Act 537 plan which will we post. We also believe changes to the Newtown Township zoning ordinance will be needed to enable the building of a new treatment plant at the Lower Silver Lake Road site. Therefore, we believe there are multiple opportunities to legally stop the sewer authority plant. In 2013, the Newtown Board of Supervisors used their authority to stop the Newtown Sewer Authority from proceeding with a proposed treatment plant. The authority is also governed by the Municipal Authorities Act, which states that they cannot duplicate or compete with existing enterprises serving substantially the same purpose, unless the PADEP deems it “necessary”. Chapter 56, Section 5607(b)(2).

Yes. We believe that all sewer plants smell, it is a matter of how much, how often and how far the smell will travel. The SNSP Technical Committee has studied potential odors and drafted a white paper (short issue summary) which can be found on our blog The Stink Zone - Odor. Testimony was also offered by Peter Jordan regarding odors at the Newtown Township Supervisors meeting of January 22, 2025 which can be viewed here.

According to the sewer authority, either Core Creek or Neshaminy Creek. SNSP Technical Committee member Ray Post offered testimony regarding water quality impacts at the Newtown Township Supervisors meeting of January 22, 2025 which can be viewed here.

Yes, Middletown Township is opposing the project. At the January 13, 2025 Middletown Supervisors Meeting, Chairperson Mike Ksiazek outlined the actions the Township plans to take. Please access this link for the recording of this portion of the Middletown Supervisors meeting.

The Middletown EAC issued a memo dated January 23, 2025 and recommended that the Township “should oppose this project as currently configured and located.” This memo will be posted and linked. Representatives of the SNSP opposition attended and participated in the Newtown Township and Borough EAC meetings both held independently on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. At that time, none of the EAC members claimed any prior knowledge of the sewer authority project and were very surprised to learn of it from SNSP members. No position has yet been taken by either EAC, but both have requested a presentation on the project from the sewer authority. 

The SNSP team has developed this website https://stoptheplant.net/ with tabs to disseminate accurate technical, financial and procedural information regarding past and upcoming meetings. Beyond this, Weekly Updates are being produced and disseminated through our Outreach Committee to Facebook Administrators in neighborhoods all across Newtown Township and Borough and Middletown Township, as well as other media outlets. These updates will keep concerned citizens informed of latest information. The Outreach Committee will coordinate attendance at important meetings when the voice of the people must be heard.