BY JONAS BEALS

Westmoreland County officials revealed details of a new sewer-line extension project during a ceremony Friday.

A $5.6 million U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development grant will pay to connect about 450 homes to the county's existing sewerage system.

Those houses--in the Glebe Harbor, Tidwell and Drum Bay areas--have experienced failing private septic systems, and some of those failures have led to standing sewage pools and runoff into nearby streams.

For those reasons, the sewer-line extension is being touted as an "Earth Day partnership" between the county, state and federal governments.

"Support for infrastructure projects like these helps the environment, improves the lives of rural residents and ensures that rural communities have modern, up-to-date facilities," USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Jonathan Adelstein said.

Along with a new sewer line, the grant will pay for two pump stations and a new 3 million-gallon wastewater storage basin at the existing Coles Point sewage treatment plant.

Once the extension is completed, the Westmoreland sewerage system will serve approximately 2,400 residents and 25 businesses.

Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com