Poop? What poop?

Charles Cornell of Chartiers Township says he's been trying for three years, with no success, to get the township to do something about the raw sewage running from a neighboring home and flowing down the 300 block of North Main Street near Houston. And based on the attitude of township officials, it's no wonder his complaints are falling on deaf ears. Cornell said the stench from the sewage keeps him inside in the summer, and a neighbor said the foul water freezes on the road in the winter, creating a travel hazard that salt trucks have a difficult time removing. One of Cornell's neighbors, Tony Vallone, came with his daughters to the most recent Chartiers Township supervisors meeting and pleaded for action. The township has been aware of the problem, but township manager Alice Derian said the local government has not sent any type of enforcement notice to the owner of the rental property with the malfunctioning septic system. "If we're going to enforce one, we're going to have to enforce the entire area," said Derian. Gee, what a novel concept, forcing people to keep their excreted bodily fluids from running in the streets. I have a septic system, myself, and I would fully expect someone to come knocking on my door if my waste started running onto Route 844. Folks who live in the neighborhood with Cornell and Vallone say other septic systems have failed, and sewage is emptying into a nearby creek, yet nothing is done. How nice. The residents' immediate concern is getting the sewage from the North Main Street house diverted away from their properties, but township supervisors Chairman Harlan Shober seems reluctant to take the issue before the Washington County Sewage Council because it could expose what he calls a "Pandora's box" of failed septic systems in Midland. He said the people who are complaining could also find themselves subject to fines or be forced to repair their systems if the sewage council starts nosing around. Good Lord! You mean people might be forced to keep their poop in a secure container on their own property? If Chartiers Township officials would rather continue their policy of ignoring threats to public health, perhaps they could capitalize on their stance, get some Walking Around Money from a local legislator and open a leper colony. Can you say economic development? Ka-ching!