UPDATED: Council Updated on Sewage Expansion Project, Consultant

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. to include comment from Diane Altland.

Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority board President Mike Alterio asked council members to raise their hands Monday if they were familiar with a state Department of Environmental Protection Act 537 Plan.

Only three hands went up.

Alterio said that's one reason he attended Council's meeting Monday—to explain what the Act 537 improvement plan means to CHJA and its customers, and to update members on why former authority engineer Diane Altland is still on the payroll.

Canonsburg Council members had questioned last month why Altland—who had resigned—had rejoined the authority in a part-time capacity.

Alterio said Atland stayed on to help in the transition of her successor, and also to help see the design of a sewage expansion project to completion.

He said that Altland will soon present the conceptual design of the expansion project to DEP—and said he believes that if approved, the expansion would satisfy the future needs of the community.

To that end, Altland works about 10 hours every two weeks and will be "phased out" by the end of 2012.

Alterio did not mention a cost estimate for the possible expansion project.

Reached Thursday, Altland said the original scope of the Act 537 Plan called for $40 million in improvements, but that the project has since been pared down.

She declined to cite a cost, saying there were still too many variables to give an accurate estimate.

However, she said the scope of work would be finalized after the conceptual design is reviewed by DEP. She expected to know the results of that review by June.