Council reviews plan to apply for up to $500,000 wastewater grant

Borough staff told the Souderton Borough Council on April 7 that they are seeking permission to apply for a state grant to upgrade aeration systems at the borough wastewater treatment plant, with a grant cap of $500,000 and an anticipated municipal match of roughly one-third of eligible costs.

An unidentified staff member (speaker 3) described the program as a broader-concept grant and said the borough’s engineer has vetted proposed technology and cost estimates. "The grant is 500,000," the staff member said. The staffer added that the project would require the borough to sign the grant agreement and budget the local match if the award is made.

Council President (speaker 1) moved to approve Resolution 2025-08 "authorizing submission to the small water sewer grant program for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant in an amount not to exceed $500,000." A council member asked how the estimate was being calculated; staff replied the application is less detailed than an earlier grant and that the engineer is preparing cost estimates. The staffer said the borough would be responsible for any project costs that exceed the grant cap and that any award would come back to council for acceptance.

Why it matters: If awarded, the grant would offset capital costs to improve wastewater treatment infrastructure and could reduce operational or regulatory risks for the borough. The transcript shows council debate about application detail and match requirements, but a recorded final vote on the submitted resolution is not clearly present in the provided segments.

Next steps: Staff will complete the grant application and engineer cost estimates and, if the borough is awarded funds, will present the award and agreement to council for formal acceptance and execution.