Coraopolis residents who sell their homes soon may be required to do a little extra work.

Coraopolis Water and Sewer Authority voted to put an ordinance together to require residents to dye test sewer laterals to see if storm water and sanitary sewers are connected.

John Schombert, authority president, said the borough is in the process of separating such lines, but are not mandated to do so at this point. However, he said the authority has to move ahead to deal with the issue without burdening the homeowners with too much of the cost.

Real estate agents will be informed of what is expected from home sellers.

"They are expected to do this in just about every other town," Schombert said.

Plan comes together

Coraopolis Water and Sewer Authority plans to have its revised Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection by 2010 and will start implementing some of the requirements in that plan very shortly.

Last month authority board voted to spend $150,000 on a flow monitoring plan of the borough's combined sewer system. Of that $150,000, $100,000 will be spent on meters.

Because the authority now is not in agreement with all the recommendations in a similar Long Term Control Plan submitted in a 2002, CWSA will revise that plan, starting with the flow monitors.

The board voted to send a letter asking DEP's approval on a time line for a new plan.

Flow monitoring now is taking place, and data will be analyzed in January, 2009.

The old plan called for a complete sewer separation, but CWSA is not certain that total separation of sewer and storm water is necessary. However, targeted sewer separation in certain areas may be appropriate, the letter states.

A separation program now is ongoing on Vance and Ridge avenues and Alder Alley.