Upper Milford Township officials are seeking the person or persons who discarded four partly filled 30-gallon barrels in the vicinity of Scout Road near the railroad tracks April 17. Two of the barrels were determined to contain a mixture of waste motor oil and water, one contained kerosene and water and the fourth contained transmission fluid and water.

Township Manager Daniel DeLong told supervisors at their April 18 meeting the state police were out with other emergency personnel because there was initially concern the material might have been dumped by someone cleaning out a meth lab.

That turned out not to be the case, and the site has been cleaned up, he said. The Department of Environmental Protection signed off on the clean-up and it was determined there was no contamination of the water supply.

However, DeLong said in a memo to the board, the cost of the clean-up, including the volunteer time of the Western District Fire Company and eventual proper disposal of the fluids, will be about $10,000.

DeLong told supervisors the investigation is ongoing and there is a possibility information from a surveillance camera could lead to identifying the suspects.

The township has already paid almost $3,000 to a company called Qualified Spill Response, a contractor which specializes in such incidents.

Also responding to the incident were Public Works Coordinator Steve Ackerman, Emergency Management Coordinator William Stahler, Western District Fire Company and Lehigh County HAZ-MAT Special Operations Unit.

In other business at last week's meeting, DeLong announced an updated emergency response plan is being pieced together. He said a Red Cross representative will be at the May 16 supervisors' meeting and supervisors suggested he invite fire company representatives to attend as well.

Supervisors have held two special meetings to discuss updating the emergency plan.

DeLong also announced he still has not heard from emergency services personnel about whether they think a light will be required on the monopole state police would like to erect near the township building. He said MedEvac representatives say they rarely land in that vicinity, so probably have no need of a light.

Supervisor George DeVault said, "If MedEvac doesn't have a problem with it, I don't have a problem with it," but the board took no action on approving the monopoly.