ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A regionwide wastewater plan and a hazard mitigation plan both advanced with staff review approvals by Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.
Advanced were the Kline’s Island Sewer System, or KISS, Act 537 Plan and the Lehigh Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The KISS Plan is an official municipal planning document that outlines the region’s sewer system needs for the future.
“[The plan] provides a necessary path forward."Susan Myerov, LVPC’s director of environmental planning
The plan includes details about the projects to be completed in each community, what it will cost, and preparations to meet each community’s future needs for sewer service.
KISS serves 15 communities in Lehigh County, transporting wastewater from each municipal system and treating it at the Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The plant treats 32 million gallons of wastewater daily for about 270,000 people.
On Tuesday, Lehigh County Authority’s $300 million regional wastewater plan passed a staff review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Environment Committee.
“[The plan] provides a necessary path forward in preventing future sewage disposal problems from occurring and to provide protection for both the groundwater and surface waters of the region,” according to staff comments.
Approval of an Act 537 plan was required at the local level prior to review and approval by the State Department of Environmental Protection.
LCA officials in November 2023 announced the more $500,000-plus plan for much needed upgrades to wastewater infrastructure across more than 12 municipalities in its service areas.
Overflow issues in the system stretch back to 2007, with additional overflows recorded in 2018 and 2019.
To remedy those issues, and address aging infrastructure, officials began working on a comprehensive, regional Act 537 plan.
Hazard mitigation plan OK’d
Commissioners approved a resolution for the Lehigh Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan.
“Hazard mitigation planning reduces the long-term risk to life and property by minimizing the impact of disasters through identification of the risks and vulnerabilities of an area,” Susan Myerov, the LVPC’s director of environmental planning, said in the staff review.
“It then develops actions for protecting life and property from similar events.”
The plans, required to receive federal hazard mitigation funding, must be updated every five years.Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
The Lehigh Valley 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan has been developed by Lehigh County Emergency Services and the Northampton County Emergency Management Services in cooperation with other county departments, and officials and citizens of the Lehigh Valley’s municipalities, including the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
The plans, required to receive federal hazard mitigation funding, must be updated every five years.
The committee in March 2024 reviewed and accepted staff comments on the plan. FEMA in September granted the plan “approved pending adoption” status.
Staff writer Molly Bilinski contributed to this report.
