ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Letters seeking renewals of wastewater treatment plants and related discharges were approved Tuesday by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's Environment Committee.
The approvals were for Lehigh Township Municipal Authority-Pennsville and Lehigh Carbon Community College.
The applications were submitted by the Delaware River Basin Commission Review, which develops strategies for water conservation in the river basin, monitors the water quality and oversees the recreation use of the river.
The applications will be reviewed by the full LVPC at noon Thursday.
The projects are on a five-year renewal cycle.
Lehigh Township Municipal Authority-Pennsville was approved for its existing 60,000 gallons per day wastewater treatment plant and related discharge. Average flow to the plant is about 12,500 gallons a day.
The plant, at Indian Trail Road in Lehigh Township, serves the Pennsville residential and commercial community.
The Lehigh Carbon Community College application was renewed for its existing 36,225 gallons per day wastewater treatment plant and related discharge.
The average flow to the plant is 10,624 gallons per day.
The plant will continue to serve the Lehigh Carbon Community College and the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute at Education Park Drive in North Whitehall Township.
Neither application renewal proposes an expansion or modification of the treatment plants.
Preserving farmland
Review letters also were approved to add three parcels to the Lower Nazareth Township Agricultural Security Area.
The parcels are contiguous and total 192 acres of farmland indicated as a high priority for preservation and intended to remain as agricultural use.
“It’s refreshing to see parcels being added to the ASA. Usually we see them being removed.”John Gallagher, LVPC Commissioner
LVPC also received notification of three additional parcels to be added to Lower Nazareth Township’s Agricultural Security Area, or ASA, that border the aforementioned parcels.
The six parcels comprise 287.12 acres of contiguous land proposed to be added to the township’s ASA.
The proposed parcels are adjacent to an agricultural conservation easement in East Allen Township.
Inclusion of the proposed parcels would create a cluster of land in agricultural preservation across western Lower Nazareth Township and eastern East Allen Township.
“It’s refreshing to see parcels being added to the ASA,” Commissioner John Gallagher said. “Usually we see them being removed.”
Also Tuesday, LVPC formally introduced two new employees: Subham Kharel, senior data and analytics planner, and Faria Urmy, regional plan program manager.
