Deal fixes pipe that spewed waste in Valley Forge
A suburban Philadelphia township has agreed to pay an $110,500 fine and replace a failing pipeline that spilled millions of gallons of untreated sewage into Valley Forge National Historical Park.
A Chester County judge approved a consent decree this week for Tredyffrin Township and its municipal authority after finding three spills since 2012 violated the state’s Clean Streams Law.
The agreement came days before two environmental groups, PennEnvironment and the Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited, could have taken action against the entities under the federal Clean Water Act.
Pipeline ruptures in February and March sent about 21 million gallons of untreated sewage directly into Valley Creek, an environmentally sensitive tributary of the Schuylkill River.
The creek flows through the Valley Forge site and is a magnet for trout fishers.
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