Emergency Info
Board Meeting Dates 
Hideabout Articles 
Quarterly Newsletters 
Education 
Conservation 
Community 
Project Information - Retrofit Grinder Pump Warranty
- Service Info
Odor Control News
Board Meeting Dates Hideabout Articles Quarterly Newsletters Education Conservation Community Project Information Odor Control News Many of the documents on this website are provided in the Adobe PDF format. If you are unable to view PDF files, you can go to the link below to obtain the Adobe Reader application. Be sure to select the appropriate version for your computer, and you can uncheck any "Free Toolbar" boxes since the toolbars are not needed to view PDF files.
To save to your computer, right-click the file and save it to a known location.
As a customer of RS&W, we ask that you visit this website on a regular basis to keep yourself up-to-date with the latest information or announcements. Through this website, we have provided access to many documents to help answer your questions and to update you on projects, events, and initiatives that relate to your water and sewer service. We are in the process of updating our website to better connect with our customers and the community, and we will be working to keep the information as current as possible. If there is anything that you feel should be added, clarified, or if there is a website bug/error, please let us know via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The next board meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday,
March 22nd, 2023 (10 AM)
ATTENTION:
Dear Customers,
It has come to our attention that several properties have been found to have hired private contractors to physically turn their water on/off at the curb stop. To avoid a fine, it is required that any Water ON or OFF must be scheduled through and performed by an RS&W technician. Please contact our office to make an appointment. The scheduled fee is only $20.00 for each service. Any customer or contractor found to be blatantly disregarding this policy, will be subject to fines and/or legal proceedings.
The following clause from our Rules & Regulations handbook is being provided to you so that you know the potential penalty to the homeowner and contractor:
CURB BOXES AND VALVES
C7. No unauthorized persons shall exercise any of Roamingwood’s water or sewer facilities, including curb stops, valves, vent pipes, etc., in any public or private line. It is the responsibility of the property owner to advise all contractors to contact Roamingwood to have valves opened or closed. Non-compliance will result in a fine assessed to the property owner of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per occurrence and could result in legal prosecution. The purpose of this prohibition and directive is to eliminate liability and avoid the
associated costs that Roamingwood incurs due to potential damage of our equipment and to avoid any health and safety issues that can occur from improper handling of the same.
Roamingwood Sewer and Water Association is requesting the assistance of Property Owners of the Hideout
Community in complying with our Rules and Regulations when contracting services.
Should tampering with the Water & Sewer Curb Boxes and Valves continue we will have no choice but to levy further fines on the homeowner as well as seek legal prosecution for illegal tampering of our facilities.
Sincerely,
RS&W
IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ
IMMEDIATE CHANGES TO BILLING & PAYMENTS!
Our new billing system is up and running
to help us serve you better!
As of January 2023, our RS&W Customer Service Representatives and Service Staff will be fully utilizing our new MuniBilling system. Our 4th Quarter 2022 bill, that you just received this Newsletter in, will be the last billing through the previous system.
RS&W will continue to use our existing Lock Box provider for all payments submitted electronically through your banking institution’s online Bill Pay electronic bank check process
ALL ONLINE PAYMENTS FOR THIS BILL MUST BE MADE THROUGH OUR NEW CUSTOMER PORTAL
https://rsw.secure.munibilling.com/
We strongly urge ALL our customers to create an account on the portal as soon as possible. Even if you DO NOT pay electronically. Our new Customer Portal is fully interactive and provides our customers with an in-depth look at their personal account information reducing the necessity to contact customer service for information.
[MEMO] Odor Control Update
Published: 2022-08-24
In late spring early summer 2021 and 2022, the Odor Control Stations were updated with the necessary maintenance and were appropriately feeding chemical into the LPS system as the temperatures and weather changed. Roamingwood Sewer and Water Association (RS&W) has always and will continue to maintain an inventory of the necessary odor oxidizing chemicals.
In June 2021, the PA DEP Technical Assistance Department was on site at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) along with a chemical product vendor to run trials with Odor control products. The PA DEP, Vendor, and RS&W all supplied products. Seven products were trialed in raw sewerage from the RS&W collection system. The same trials were rerun in the same raw sewerage from the RS&W system that was allowed to turn septic and therefore producing a much higher Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) level. All these samples and data were evaluated. A third-party vendor was again on-site with RS&W employees to further trial odor control chemicals.
Shortly after the PADEP visit, the department sent their results in a report to RS&W on their recommendations. As a result of the above testing and these PA DEP results/recommendations, RS&W is feeding two different chemicals at three separate locations. Endimal SH is being fed through a programmed matrix in our Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system at the two existing locations of the odor control stations (dosing is following diurnal flows). The third location is feeding Sodium Permanganate at the head of the WWTP to address breakthrough odors.
With the assistance of Keystone Engineering a H2S monitoring system was installed at the head of the WWTP to read any potential breakthrough H2S odors. At this time RS&W has begun a major WWTP upgrade project requiring tanks to be drained, cleaned and old sludge to be removed from the WWTP site. Tanks are being rebuilt and put in and out of service to keep this upgrade project in motion. Additionally temporary tankage is being utilized with temporary blowers and temporary air lines to keep biological treatment ongoing to meet permit requirements through this project. All this activity is extensive, complicated, and difficult work. To minimize any odors, RS&W has also more frequently begun removing sludge, instead of digesting, decanting, and storing on-site. There is also inventory of oxidizing chemical on-site to dose potential breakthrough odors through the WWTP upgrade project in the event additional odors arise.
Another result of working with PA DEP Technical Assistance Department was the possible use of a new chemical, magnesium hydroxide, to address hydrogen sulfide from forming and creating odors. After a series of onsite testing with the PA DEP and the chemical vendors technical team, we found that this chemical may help on controlling odors. This new chemical, magnesium hydroxide, works by adjusting the systems pH to a specific level so that hydrogen sulfide cannot form. In September 2021, RS&W purchased a small amount of this chemical to trial. In October 2021 RS&W made a few attempts to utilize this magnesium hydroxide to address odors. Due to the heavy particulate in the chemical slurry, our existing feed systems would not feed without issues. A few modifications were made to attempt to address these blocking issues, but RS&W was not able to feed the heavier product effectively with the existing equipment. The chemical manufacturer was notified, and they will try to locate a heavier slurry pump to trial their product in our system. RS&W will further pursue this opinion once the WWTP upgrade project is completed, because this project is redirecting flows and biological activities throughout the WWTP for the next 2 years. These changes may impact H2S odor generation, which we believe to be for the better. Once the WWTP upgrade is near completion, RS&W will be prepared with the possibility of utilizing the installed H2S technology to auto feed chemical and a Magnesium Hydroxide trial if needed.
RS&W has the ability to monitor air and wastewater liquid for H2S odor and odor causing parameters today and will continue to monitor and utilize as required.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
It has been a long road, as we prepare this final stage of construction for commencement. Our goal is to break ground by mid to late summer 2022. The estimated duration of the project construction will be approximately 2 years. As we near the end of this Water & Sewer replacement project, it is important to note that of the $81 plus million dollars needed to complete this project, over $19 million dollars of this was from grants awarded to South Wayne County Water & Sewer Authority. An overall 24% reduction in our loan debt service, spanning all 4 stages. In this final stage alone, of the almost $14.9 million dollar price tag, $4.7 million dollars is a grant, reducing the loan to $10.2 million dollars. A cost reduction of 32%!
These numbers are unprecedented in our area. It would not take much research to reveal that in the scope of the national crisis on water and sewer infrastructure, the Hideout Community is in the best shape it can be in. In the past 10 years the Management and both the RS&W & South Wayne Boards have sought out every available resource, securing a future for this community.
The reality is, we have pledged and will continue to create a system that is sustainable, maintained and protected going forward.
So, we will ask once again, to be patient for a bit longer once this final stage of construction gets underway.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Name: Daniel Blottenberger
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: (717) 237-2153
City: Harrisburg
Release Date: Mar 16, 2022
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director of Rural Development Bob Morgan today announced the Department is investing $14 million on infrastructure in rural Wayne County, Pa.
The South Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority will receive a Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant of $14,879,000 to upgrade their wastewater treatment plant for their public sewer system. The plant currently serves residential communities located in Salem and Lake Townships, Pa. The plant is more than 40 years old, and the components have reached the end of their useful life.
“An investment in infrastructure of this magnitude will directly impact the lives of rural Americans in Pennsylvania,” Morgan said. “President Biden has created a roadmap for how we can build a better America, and this project is another milestone in that plan. With the build a better America agenda, USDA will be able to fund more critical projects in Pennsylvania like those announced today in the coming months and years.”
Since 2020, USDA Rural Development has invested $28 million in Wayne County through its more than 40 programs. In addition, more than $103 million was obligated in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District.
“Upgrading our aging infrastructure is a top priority and an important part of how we bolster opportunity and prosperity,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I have been and will remain a strong advocate for programs like this and will do all I can to help our communities get the funds they need to be attractive and safe places to live, work and play.”
The project will receive additional funding of a $3,879,000 loan and a $539,000 grant. The investment follows a more than $10 million loan and grant combination that was obligated in 2019.
Planning for the project began as early as 2003, and the Authority was happy to see the project come to fruition.
“[We] are very excited to have received the grant, as well as the low interest loans for our facility upgrades,” Jack Lennox, executive director for Roamingwood Sewer and Water, agent of, South Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority wrote in an email. “[The communities] will have one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in the country along with having a brand-new infrastructure.”
Background:
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities by building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate, smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
###
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
We are VERY EXCITED to be making the following announcement:
Roamingwood Sewer and Water Association Agent of South Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority has received formal approvals from regulating agencies and USDA (funding sources) to advertise bidding for the upgrading to the wastewater treatment plant upgrades. All project documents and engineering designs have been reviewed and approved to be compliant with all State and Federal requirements and, as required, has been reviewed to be compliant with Open and Free Competition.
This project is estimated at a cost of $10,500,000 including an awarded a $4,210,000 grant to assist Roamingwood Sewer and Water Association. This project includes extensive upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant facility, that has been in operation for nearly 40 years now and serves over 4,000 properties within the Hideout Community. Most of the treatment equipment and facility buildings are original and will be updated in this 10.5-million-dollar renovation.
The project includes upgrades and replacement of equipment at the wastewater treatment plant, which includes:
With these treatment plant updates, and in concert with the recently upgraded low pressure sewer & water infrastructure, this puts these systems as one of the most advanced systems in the country.
These wastewater treatment plant upgrades can improve operations and continue to provide reliable State and Federal regulatory complaint service to the community. In addition, the grant will provide for stable rates in the near future.
—Jack Lennox, Executive Director, RS&W
www.roamingwood.com/docs/pdf/press/RSWA_Article_FinalApprovalUSDAGrantWWTP_20210730.pdf
Many of the documents on this website are provided in the Adobe PDF format. If you are unable to view PDF files, you can go to the link below to obtain the Adobe Reader application. Be sure to select the appropriate version for your computer, and you can uncheck any "Free Toolbar" boxes since the toolbars are not needed to view PDF files.
To save to your computer, right-click the file and save it to a known location.
The short answer is no.
An investigation into the booming industry of personal care wipes and what all those wipes are doing to America's sewage system.
!!! CALL RS&W BEFORE YOU DIG !!!
A message from our Project Manager
As the sewer and water project nears completion, one important fact to realize, as a property owner with an EcoTran basin, is the presence of an underground wire on your property running from the control box to the grinder pump.
If you plan on excavating or performing any renovations that require earth disturbance like an addition or a deck, a mandatory PA1 call must be made, by your contractor, to locate your wire prior to any earth disturbance.
Be advised any damage that occurs to the wire or control box, as the homeowner, you will be financially responsible for the repair costs.
Call: To place a dig or design notification in Pennsylvania, please call 8-1-1 or 1-800-242-1776 (outside PA) or visit: www.roamingwood.com/811
To whom it may concern:
Especially the woman who called me: I am a new resident of the hideout ! I closed on June 4 th 2021 At this time I would like to thank one of your workers and any one else involved who called me on or about 15 or 16 of June to let me know a worker noticed an unusual large am't of water being used contentiously !! I then noted to the person that I was not at the residence and out of state. I then asked her to shut the water off at the curb until I got back. When I got back I found out that the hot water tank broke. I replaced the tank and had to have remediation done and repair some damages ! The reason why I am telling you this if it were not for the person checking the meter and saw my problem. And notified me. To shut my water. It would have leaked for another day or two until I got back!! Then there would have been much more extensive damage.
Therefore I am extending my thanks and gratitude to the person or persons who noted the problem ! Be assured that I feel that the personal who works at RWSW are doing a good job. Please let everyone know.
Thanking you again for the concern you had shown in this Matter!
Ralph L, Lakeview Drive
We are responsible for the operation and maintenance of over 40 miles of water distribution mains and over 48 miles of wastewater (sewage) collection mains. Our staff, which performs these vital functions, has a total of over 125 years of work experience at RS&W. Learn More...
