SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — South Whitehall Township passed a resolution Wednesday aimed at managing its share of the Kline’s Island sewage system.
The culmination of years of work and numerous municipalities, the Act 537 plan lays out a multiyear process for each municipality to help manage capacity for the wastewater treatment plant in Allentown, which exceeded capacity for months in 2019 and 2020.
Township Manager Thomas R. Petrucci detailed the plan for the commissioners, saying the process currently is in the formal municipal adoption phase.
“So just prior to this phase, there was a 30-day public comment period that was facilitated by the Lehigh County Authority, and it is now necessary for each of the governing bodies of the Kline’s Island Sewer System service area — meaning the municipal entities that are part of that service area, including municipal authorities and municipalities like South Whitehall Township — to adopt a resolution approving the plan,” Petrucci said.
Past violations
From late 2018 to early 2019, the Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant exceeded its established hydraulic capacity of 40 million gallons per day for multiple consecutive months, due to sustained infiltration from saturated groundwater and heavy rainfall.
That triggered a violation from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which goes into effect after three consecutive months of exceeding hydraulic capacity.
According to documentation from the township, the capacity limits were exceeded between November 2018 to January 2019 and March 2019 to May 2019.
At the time, a temporary plan was approved by the DEP, with the requirement for a formal, long-term strategy to manage wastewater conveyance and treatment capacity by 2025.
Multiple municipalities
The KISS Regional Service Area is comprised of Allentown and 14 other municipalities — Emmaus, Macungie, Alburtis, Coplay, Upper and Lower Macungie townships, as well as North and South Whitehall, Salisbury, Whitehall, Upper Milford, Hanover, Weisenberg and Lowhill townships.
The KISS Regional Act 537 Plan maps out several commitments to be met between 2026 and 2030. Among them: a flow characterization study; negotiation and possible execution of new Intermunicipal Agreements that address cost sharing for current and future projects; regular reporting on inflow and infiltration programs; continuing the DEP’s temporary plan until all commitments are met; continued inflow and infiltration reduction efforts based on studies; the implementation of a sewage billing meter program; and completion of the Kline's Island Wastewater Treatment Plan pump replacement and upgrade project.
From late 2018 to early 2019, the Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant exceeded its established hydraulic capacity of 40 million gallons per day for multiple consecutive months.
South Whitehall has committed to several strategies supporting the plan.
They include localized inflow and infiltration reduction projects aimed for completion by 2035, participation in a regional Sewage Billing Meter program, engagement in Intermunicipal Agreement negotiations, involvement in enhancements to the treatment plant, and routine reporting and compliance.
What it costs
South Whitehall’s share of the projected $101.5 million in investments across the KISS region amounts to $5.94 million from 2025 up to 2035.
According to documentation from the township, the plan will not require any major borrowing in the short term, with costs expected to be absorbed via capital planning and rate stabilization strategies.
Commissioner Chris Peschl questioned whether South Whitehall could face an undue cost burden if other municipalities were to exceed their inflow and infiltration rates.
Petrucci said the plan was currently focused on the inflow and infiltration of each municipality.
Once the project moves to the next phase, Petrucci said, “it becomes very crucial with the intermunicipal agreements, and how we negotiate those, and how the costs are distributed amongst the municipalities.
“I'd like to see the money that we invested in this, in the program that you guys did, that the township has done, come to fruition, and then we can we manage our [inflow and infiltration],” Peschl said.
“Another municipality may not be as diligent as we were, but then we end up being on the hook for their lack of diligence, shall we say? So, if that's something down the road, then we just have to keep an eye out down the road."
