What should a new Big Spring cover look like? Bellefonte wants to hear your ideas
The Bellefonte Borough Authority will hold a public input period during its regular meeting Tuesday to gather feedback on a new design for the cover on the Big Spring, Bellefonte’s natural spring water source.
The Bellefonte Borough Authority owns and operates Bellefonte’s public water system. The Big Spring is located in the borough, adjacent to Water Street and Spring Creek. According to a 2013 water quality report, it produces approximately 15 million gallons of natural ground water each day.
The Big Spring was covered in December 1998 to comply with state environmental standards. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said the cover is required because the spring, which is not filtered, was considered to be surface water because it was exposed to the atmosphere and pollutants such as algae, duck dropping and other debris.
The authority is planning to design and construct an “aesthetically attractive cover” for the Big Spring, a notice posted on the borough’s website states.
“The Authority is tasked with developing a design that is economical, attractive, and passes all PA Department of Environmental Protection permitting requirements for Safe Drinking Water,” the notice reads.
The authority is in the preliminary stage of the project and will accept all design ideas and concepts. Design ideas received will then be vetted with engineering consultants, the state’s DEP and the Bellefonte Authority.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers, on the second floor of the Bellefonte Borough building, 236 W. Lamb St., Bellefonte. Face masks are required inside the building.
For those unable to attend the meeting, comments will also be accepted via email at boro@bellefontepa.gov, letters to 236 W Lamb St., Bellefonte, or comment forms available at the borough office. Comments will be received through November.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 4:31 PM.
