Tredyffrin Twp. Agrees to Costly Settlement in Valley Forge Water Pollution Case
By Paul Kurtz
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (CBS) -- Tredyffrin Township officials have reached a settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection over an aging sewage pipe that has ruptured several times in recent years.
The township has agreed to pay a $110,000 fine and replace the pipeline that ruptured twice last winter in Valley Forge National Park. Twenty-one million gallons of raw sewage spilled into Valley Creek.
When township officials first dragged their feet on addressing the issue, environmentalists and fishing enthusiasts threatened to drag them into court.
"We think the settlement is good for Valley Forge," says David Masur, director of Penn Environment. "We think it's good for the Valley Creek. We didn't necessarily want to see the inside of a courtroom if we could resolve this in a comprehensive way without starting a lawsuit."
Masur says the settlement also sets up an emergency response plan if there's another rupture before work begins on a new pipeline in 2016.
