The provisions of the "Clean Streams
Act" of the Federal Government, enacted in 1957 made it mandatory
for the Borough of Beaver to build a sewage treatment plant. To
that end a charge of $2.00 was levied on the homeowners of Beaver
on each kitchen unit, starting in 1958. By 1963 the plant was
constructed at a cost of $665,000. Two circulars were sent to
the residents by the Borough Municipal Authority during the exploration
period when type, size and cost factors were to be determined.
It reveals the tenacity and perseverance of the members of that
body not to give in to edicts from governmental officials.
The Authority demanded to be allowed to
use its own initiative to investigate all aspects of the problem
before committing the borough government to preconceived, expensive
and stereotyped plans as to the system best suitable to the needs
of the town and before burdening the residents with a heavy financial
load. Their tenacity was proven very beneficial, not only in substantial
reduction of building costs but also in the total effectiveness
of the system they had chosen to purify the waste water before
it is discharged into the Ohio river.
The plans for a "Mechanical Sewage Treatment Plant" proposed by the government experts provided for only 35 per cent purification, which meant that a secondary treatment plant would have to be built later, making the cost prohibitive. With the "non-mechanical" system proposed and installed by the Authority, the purity of the water is 90 per cent, with a single plant and with considerable less cost than the plant proposed by the government experts.