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Water was the main focus at Perkasie’s comprehensive plan meeting Wednesday, March 13.
“A lot of us take it [water] for granted, but obviously it affects our quality of life, and also the health of our environment,” David Sebastian, of the Bucks County Planning Commission, said.
The commission focused on a storm-water management plan for the borough and addressed water supply and wastewater facility concerns.
After heavy rain or snow, storm-water runoff becomes a problem especially because of impervious surfaces that are created from development and the reduction in wooded areas and natural vegetation, according to the Bucks County Planning Commission. When the runoff isn’t able to infiltrate the ground, this water may not be filtered of debris, chemicals, sediment and pollution. According to the commission, when storm-water problems aren’t addressed, the area suffers from issues such as flooding, stream channel erosion and a decrease in water quality.
One of the ideas the commission had was to “encourage the removal of needless impervious coverage and replace with landscaping or other pervious materials.”
Bucks County Planning Commission’s Rea Monaghan gave the example of decreasing widths of sidewalks in order to create more pervious surfaces.
“I think our sidewalks width, I think our road width is probably adequately standard,” said Borough Manager Daniel Olpere. “My personal opinion is I don’t think you’d want to make that any less. It’s certainly not extravagant.”
Olpere did say that a standard for overall pervious coverage for new development could be addressed, though.
The Bucks County Planning Commission also discussed a water supply plan for Perkasie, which is serviced by the Perkasie Regional Authority. The authority provides water to more than 2,800 households in Perkasie and is tasked to supply safe and potable water.
“Planning for a sufficient amount of safe water is important to meeting future community and business needs,” Monaghan said. Continued…
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Water was the main focus at Perkasie’s comprehensive plan meeting Wednesday, March 13.
“A lot of us take it [water] for granted, but obviously it affects our quality of life, and also the health of our environment,” David Sebastian, of the Bucks County Planning Commission, said.
The commission focused on a storm-water management plan for the borough and addressed water supply and wastewater facility concerns.
After heavy rain or snow, storm-water runoff becomes a problem especially because of impervious surfaces that are created from development and the reduction in wooded areas and natural vegetation, according to the Bucks County Planning Commission. When the runoff isn’t able to infiltrate the ground, this water may not be filtered of debris, chemicals, sediment and pollution. According to the commission, when storm-water problems aren’t addressed, the area suffers from issues such as flooding, stream channel erosion and a decrease in water quality.
One of the ideas the commission had was to “encourage the removal of needless impervious coverage and replace with landscaping or other pervious materials.”
Bucks County Planning Commission’s Rea Monaghan gave the example of decreasing widths of sidewalks in order to create more pervious surfaces.
“I think our sidewalks width, I think our road width is probably adequately standard,” said Borough Manager Daniel Olpere. “My personal opinion is I don’t think you’d want to make that any less. It’s certainly not extravagant.”
Olpere did say that a standard for overall pervious coverage for new development could be addressed, though.
The Bucks County Planning Commission also discussed a water supply plan for Perkasie, which is serviced by the Perkasie Regional Authority. The authority provides water to more than 2,800 households in Perkasie and is tasked to supply safe and potable water.
“Planning for a sufficient amount of safe water is important to meeting future community and business needs,” Monaghan said.
PRA has three wells in Perkasie, where an on-site facility treats the water before it is transferred to a reservoir that can hold a million gallons.
Perkasie saw a toxin called TCE in the water supply in the 1970s, said the commission. This toxin is an ingredient in industrial solvents. PRA chlorinates water before it goes into the distribution network, and iron and manganese is removed to prevent discolored water. According to the commission, a well in South Perkasie uses a stripping tower to remove TCE.
Among the commission’s suggestions for the borough is a recommendation to reduce water consumption through conservation devices and domestic and industrial practices.
In discussions of sewage and wastewater facility plans, the Bucks County Planning Commission suggested that the borough coordinate with PRA — which handles the majority of wastewater from homes and businesses in the borough — to identify future capacity needs and see if any improvements are needed.
At the next comprehensive plan meeting, Wednesday, April 10, the Perkasie Planning Commission is tentatively planning to discuss park, recreation and open space resources; community facilities; solid waste; and recycling and hazard mitigation.
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