Harmony Township Initiative

July 19, 2001

Not long ago I mentioned why Harmony Township should take the initiative, and generate a punch list of things that should be done to close the fly ash dump near the country club on Rt. 989. The reasons were that the original landfill permit has now been voided, and the cost of total reclamation far exceeds anything anyone could afford. This is the time to resolve an on-going issue that has been with us since about 1977.

I proposed a punch list of about seven items which could be done, by the permit holder, at fairly little cost. Among these were cleaning up the debris, stabilizing the hillside, establishing a visual barrier as required by both Harmony and Ambridge Ordinances, and attending to the drainage of both surface and sub-surface water.

I have been asked why Harmony Township should take the initiative toward the clean up of property that is located in Ambridge Borough. The answer is simple. The landfill is an appendage of Ambridge, which is surrounded on three sides by Harmony Township. The unsightliness is imposed on Township citizens rather than Ambridge citizens. Township residents, rather than Ambridge residents suffer the depreciation of their real estate values. The dust affects Township residents rather than Ambridge residents. The water contamination affects Township residents more than Ambridge residents. The mosquitoes and insects that breed in the surface ponds range into Harmony Township rather than Ambridge. The property is legally located in Ambridge, but we suffer the effects.

The cost of generating a punch list would be minimal, and the cost of effecting the clean up would run to the permit holder and the landowner. That cost too would be manageable. It would also be enforceable.

Now is the time to reach an agreement on what has to be done. The parties have not indefinitely shelved the issue yet. As you drive down the road, look at how the Highway Department uses crown vetch to beautify the area, control dust, and slow erosion. The same thing could be done here. When you go to True Value look at the example the Stranoes set by providing a visual barrier of white pines. When you drive down Rt. 65 through Edgeworth look at how their canopy of trees beautifies the area. The same thing could be done here. Real estate people notice things like this.

The Township needs to take the initiative because no one else ever will. Although the property is located in Ambridge, it's not their problem. They have no to bother with it. The permit holder will not volunteer to affect the reclamation. He has no reason to. The DEP will participate after they are given some positive guidance. The burden of providing the positive guidance falls on the people who are affected by the problem. Those people are the citizens of the Township.

Roger Thomas