Town of Mount Hope Forms Hidden Valley Sewer Advisory Board

A digital sign reminding residents of the Oct. 18, 2022, Minisink Valley School District public library vote is displayed outside the Mount Hope Town Hall in Otisville, N.Y., on Oct. 2, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

The Mount Hope town board on March 18 unanimously appointed five members to the newly created Hidden Valley Sewer Advisory Board.

The board is meant to connect the town with 100 or so households in the Hidden Valley sewer district, according to Supervisor Paul Rickard.

“One of the things I heard over and over again during my campaign was that the communication was not great between the Valley residents and the town board,” he previously told The Epoch Times. “I think it is important to give the people in that district a voice.”

Advisory board members will have access to town engineer Jason Pitingaro and be actively involved in the short- and long-term planning for the sewer plant.

Sean Burke, a Hidden Valley resident for nearly 20 years and an advisory board member, told The Epoch Times that the immediate task was to fix the water infiltration issue at the plant.

In theory, the sewage flow rate at the plant should mirror the level of water use in the housing development, which averages about 15,000 gallons per day at peak times. However, during a plant visit by Mr. Rickard in early January, the sewer flow rate was measured at more than five times higher than water usage.

In October 2023, the town was cited by a state agency for four violations at the sewer plant—including insufficient on-site time by staff, an expired water treatment chemical (ammonia), and sewer work performed by people without proper licensing—in response to which the town has submitted a correction plan, according to a February town board meeting.

As for long-term plant planning, a capital plan was sorely needed, Mr. Burke said.

“Sewer plant has a limited life,” he told The Epoch Times. “We had a failed plant. What is going to happen if this plant fails? We have got to plan for that.”

Mr. Burke noted that his sewer fee suddenly jumped twofold to $1,700 per year when the original sewer plant was replaced about a decade ago.

Brian Monahan, a Hidden Valley resident and advisory board member, told The Epoch Times that as the Minisink Valley Central School District superintendent, he had gained knowledge about sewer facilities while working on the school district’s new plant.

“There are some veteran people who have lived in Hidden Valley for a lot longer than me and who had been intricately involved, and I am just here to provide some additional help,” he said.

The other advisory board members are Mike Meere, Mary Carver, and Edward Jahrling.

The Mount Hope town board is also considering a new sewer usage law to comply with state requirements.