Lehigh County Authority open house details $300 million sewer plan

WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – Clean drinking water is important – it’s essential to everyday life.

But what happens after using that water is just as important.

“If you could imagine your morning without your cup of coffee or your morning without the toilet or the ability to shower – these are everyday activities at home that require a sewer connection,” said Liesel Gross, chief executive officer of the Lehigh County Authority .

“But then broaden your view to our local economy and then to the jobs and products that rely on clean drinking water and wastewater — safe schools, safe hospitals.”

“All of these things really depend on utilities functioning well and having a safe, reliable water supply and sanitation.”

Gross gave a presentation Tuesday during an open house at Whitehall High School about the agency’s Kline’s Island Sewer System (KISS), a regional sewer plan.

The plan, estimated to cost more than $300 million, aims to rehabilitate and modernize aging water and wastewater infrastructure in more than a dozen Lehigh County communities.

Because moving forward requires approval from each governing body, officials have scheduled a handful of open houses this month to gather feedback and answer questions from residents about the draft plan.

“For a system that’s now 50 or 100 years old, it’s really time to reinvest,” Gross said.

“Previous generations have invested heavily in this regional system and it is time to invest again so that future generations can continue to enjoy the quality of life we ​​have today.

“We have been working on this plan for a number of years now and are really pleased to be able to share some of the details with the public.”

Tuesday’s open house, the third in the series, was sparsely attended as there were more government employees than residents.

“A regional system”

There were five stations in the high school cafeteria for participants to explore, each staffed by two agency employees.

After checking in at the first station, people found that the second station focused on an explanation of the service area.

The plan includes 15 communities covering much of the county from Allentown to Alburtis and Weisenberg to Hanover townships – each with their own unique needs for wastewater infrastructure improvements.

And the sewer system at Kline’s Island on Union Street in Allentown, where all the wastewater flows, also needs to be rehabilitated.

“These communities are all connected,” Gross said during the presentation.

“All wastewater from homes and businesses in these communities flows to the Allentown Wastewater Treatment Plant for final treatment. So it is a regional system.

“We look after 270,000 people every day. On average, we treat about 32 million gallons of wastewater every day.”

The third station focused on facility work and interceptors, with diagrams and posters illustrating capacity issues. Aging pipes crack and leak, causing rain or groundwater to take up space.

If the pipes are overloaded, raw sewage can escape.

“It can happen that the plant is overloaded and we are discharging raw wastewater into the environment,” Gross said.

“So the environmental concerns there are significant, and of course our state regulators have taken note of that and are working with us to make sure we have a plan that meets their needs and addresses those issues.”

The fourth station contained information about maintaining the system, including videos of cracked or clogged pipes.

There are 1,000 miles of pipeline that staff can monitor for problems, said Joe Younes, the agency’s field manager.

In addition to the aging of pipes, there are also other variables, such as: B. root growth, as well as other things that should not go down the drain, such as: E.g. flushable cloths and cooking fat.

“We can vacuum out as much of the grease as we can and put some degreaser in the line,” he said. “For the roots, we have a root cutter that goes in and just cuts the roots out. We can also inject spray into the line to prevent roots from growing.”

The final stop focused on the financial implications. While individual rates are not yet available for residents, posters showed a steady increase in costs through 2040.

“We expect approximately $100 million worth of work to be completed over the next decade to address the leaks in the system,” Gross said.

“And while we work to eliminate the leak from the system, we still need to work on the key regional components of this system.”

These regional components include Kline’s Island and some interceptors.

The current annual operating cost for the system – excluding an industrial pretreatment plant in Upper Macungie Township – is just over $18 million.

“If we don’t do something, I think it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen,” Gross said. “Pipes do not taper on their own and therefore the condition of the pipes will deteriorate if we do not correct the problem.

“This will cause additional environmental problems, flooding will continue or worsen.”

“Solve these problems together”

The plan is “the largest investment our community has ever made in protecting the environment and protecting public health,” Gross said.

“We will be very happy to solve this problem and make this investment,” Gross said. “But it requires the community to come together and address these issues together.”

Authority officials expect to refine the plan, including rate projections, early next year. Once township officials approve each plan, it is sent to the state Department of Environmental Protection for approval.

David Wodyka of Bethlehem asked if the budget included costs for homeowners whose pipes are connected to the system.

“The pipe that essentially runs from the curb to the house is largely privately owned, but each municipality has different ordinances and different limits as to what work can be done,” Gross said.

Another question was regarding the pretreatment facility at 7676 Industrial Road, Upper Macungie Township. Previous plans included a complete overhaul, but the authority has been working with industries near the plant to determine the best path forward.

After the plan for a total overhaul of the plant, estimated to cost $267 million, fell through, two options remain, estimated to cost $93 million and $32 million, respectively.

Three additional open houses are planned: Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Delta Hotels by Marriott in Fogelsville, Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Fearless Fire Company in Allentown and Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m at the Lower Macungie Community Center.

Residents can contact the authority at [email protected] or 610-398-2503, extension 164 if they need accommodations.