Mike Miller said he has been living a “nightmare” with sewage from Natural Soil Products on his 16-acre property in Hegins Township.

Miller told the Schuylkill County Commissioners at their weekly meeting Wednesday morning that he has had to deal with raw sewage in his backyard.

“There is a downhill slope behind my property,” Miller said. “There is sewage 50 feet long and 6 feet wide that has wiped out my yard and my son’s yard. It’s black, raw sewage. I have worked my whole life for my property.”

Miller asked the commissioners for help.

Commissioner Chairman Larry Padora asked Miller if he had hired a lawyer. Miller said he has not done that yet.

Melinda Deibert of North Manheim Township questioned where NSP is dumping the stuff, and said there has been increased truck traffic bringing sewage into NSP, which composts biosolids,

Residents on the west end of the county have been complaining for months about the odor from the NSP facility, saying that they have no quality of life because the odor prevents them from going outside their homes.

Padora said the commissioners have a meeting scheduled for Sept. 3 with the state Department of Environmental Resources to discuss the issue.

“We are trying to help the people on the west end.” Padora said. “We are trying to set up a public meeting.”

Fall cleanup

The commissioners also approved the following fee schedule for the annual fall cleanup and recycling event for the county:

• Freon-bearing appliances, $10 each; those accepted will include refrigerators, air conditioners and dehumidifiers.

• Bulky items, $10 each; those accepted will include mattresses, box springs, rolls of carpet, doors and windows.

• Sofas and overstuffed chairs; $5 per cushion.

• Tires, $2 each; only automobile, light truck and motorcycle tires up to 16 inches in diameter will be accepted, with no more than two loads per customer. Municipalities will also be charged the per tire fee and are requested to make an appointment with the host collection site for large loads.

• Non-freon bearing appliances, no charge; those accepted will include stoves, washers and dryers.

• Miscellaneous item, no charge; those accepted will include water heaters, bicycles, barbecue grills, metal furniture and scrap metal.

There are eight drop-off sites scheduled to be open the week of Sept. 2 and another eight scheduled to be open the week Sept. 9.

According to a flyer for the event, there will be no electronics collected this year.

Contracts

The commissioners awarded a $5,500 contract to M&L Associates for preparation of an Emergency Solutions Grant application. They also approved advertising for a public hearing for the 2025 ESG program.

Ron Zimmerman, county grants manager, said that funds from the program are used to address homelessness, including paying for shelters and for outreach efforts.

Cheryl Fuss, of the grants office, added that the funds are also used for rental assistance and to pay hotel bills until permanent housing is found.

The commissioners also awarded a $15,425 contract to Northeast Industrial Services for a demolition project at 2056 West Penn Pike in West Penn Township.