About Us
Our History
The Authority was formed in 1975 as the Hilltown Township Sewer Authority to solve increasing problems caused by failing septic systems. At the same time, the Pennridge Wastewater Treatment plant was being transformed into a regional plant and was able to handle the sewage from Hilltown.
The original sewer system installed by the Authority was completed in 1978. The Authority completed an extension to the system in 1983 on Blooming Glen Road. A section of the Pleasant Spring Interceptor was relocated in 1988.
The Authority’s Highland Park treatment plant started accepting sewage on April 25, 2003. It has its own collection and conveyance system.
Today, the Authority operates and maintains a sanitary sewer collection system within Hilltown Township, including collection lines and interceptors.
In anticipation of future needs, the Authority changed its name in 1980 to the Hilltown Township Water and Sewer Authority, although no water service was offered for five years.
The first portion of the water distribution system installed under the Authority was in conjunction with the developer of the Pleasant Meadows subdivision in 1985 who originally proposed 112 homes, each with its own well. Township officials were concerned that this was too many wells in such a small area. The Authority drilled its first well and installed the initial distribution system in the development. The distribution system was extended from Pleasant Meadows to the west to service three new housing developments in the Diamond Street – Schoolhouse Road area in 1986.
Working with Neighbors
The following year, the private Seidel Water Company in neighboring Silverdale started to have trouble with its wells. The Authority purchased the water company, connected that system with the Pleasant Meadows system and closed down the Seidel wells. This also included the development of Well No. 5 on Baringer Avenue.
The distribution system was extended to the east from the Pleasant Meadows development in 1987 along South Perkasie Road to Blooming Glen Road. This work also included the development of Well No. 2 on South Perkasie Road.
In 1988, an interconnection with Telford Borough Authority was completed with the installation of a waterline and meter pit on Schoolhouse Road.
Today, the Authority operates and maintains a water distribution system within Silverdale Borough and Hilltown Township, including wells and water mains.
Innovative Solutions
The Highland Park Treatment Plant is not your typical sewage treatment plant.
Most residents would not want a sewage treatment plant as their neighbor. But what about one that looks like a beautiful red barn and doesn’t smell at all? That is exactly what Hilltown residents got in June 2002 when the Highland Park Treatment Plant opened.
Before even beginning to plan a new plant, the authority knew some objectives needed to be established. Keeping the environment in mind, managing storm water, preserving wetlands, and utilizing natural vegetation were top priorities. The plant also needed to be functional, modern and aesthetically pleasing.
Since the new plant was going to be located in a fairly open area next to a retirement community, many structural elements had to be considered as well as a little imagination thrown in. For two years the authority consulted with Castle Valley Consultants, an environment and civil engineering firm. The authority allowed the firm to design a plant that would be integrated into the community and would still meet standards for the next 30 to 40 years.
The design included a scrubber system that removes odors from incoming sewage, two treatment reactors, a post-equalization tank, UV disinfection, and sound absorbing panels to keep noise from the blower room down.
The authority called in George Donovan and Associates, an architectural firm, to design the building that would actually house the mechanics of the plant. Small touches like the false chimney, actually an exhaust stack for the plant’s diesel generator, and sliding barn doors which conceal insulated garage doors, made the plant fit into rural Bucks County.