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Lehigh Township Municipal Authority studies treatment‑plant upgrades and PFAS filter needs
Summary
The Municipal Authority reported an aging wastewater treatment plant, parts/programming shortages, staffing concerns and the need to plan for PFAS filtration requirements expected in 2028; the Authority is conducting feasibility studies and reviewing delinquent account collection practices.
Steve Arnold, representing the Lehigh Township Municipal Authority, told the board the township’s wastewater treatment plant is aging and that parts and programming expertise for the existing control systems are increasingly difficult to obtain.
Arnold said the Authority is conducting feasibility studies looking at 5‑, 10‑ and longer‑term options so the plant can be modernized without depending on ad hoc township assistance. He said staffing will need review as one long‑time employee is nearing retirement and that the Authority will be developing a capital plan.
Arnold also described collection challenges for long‑delinquent customer accounts; the Authority follows statutory procedures and can eventually pursue municipal liens and sheriff sales, but legal remedies are costly and results are not guaranteed. He said the Authority’s water operating account was roughly at zero while the sewer account was healthier, and transfers between funds are used to meet obligations.
Arnold told the board the Authority will need to purchase new filters to remove PFAS (the transcript used the term "PFA") to meet an expected requirement in 2028 and will include that in capital planning. Supervisors asked about collection policies for accounts with large balances and the solicitor described lien and sheriff‑sale processes as possible, but costly, remedies.
The Authority will return with feasibility results and a capital plan recommendation for board review.
