The Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority addressed its plan to work with an Environmental Protection Agency mandate to eliminate clear water infiltration into the sewer system at its June 19 meeting.

Several years ago, the EPA determined that a way to extend the life of the facility and reduce costs was to reduce the amount of clear water that infiltrated the system.

Clear water is rainwater or runoff that enters the system through manholes or inappropriate storm water management and does not need to be treated.

More than four decades ago, the approach on how to handle sewage changed. The age-old idea of diluting sewage before it was returned to an aquifer gave way to technologically advanced treatment facilities that removed pollutants before water returned to streams and rivers.

Technological advances have improved and are responsible for improved water quality ratings in waterways. Buildings built before the advances became the standard are at odds with new techniques.

The EPA mandate for the Allentown Wastewater Treatment plant was in a continued effort to keep water quality high. Sewage treated with the latest procedures cleans water of pollutants, but the costs are high. Less sewage is present for treatment, which means lower costs and better output quality.

Because of the mandate, all municipalities that feed sewage to the plant are required to abide by the mandate. Coplay and Whitehall both send sewage to the Allentown plant for treatment.

The CWSA took action once it received the mandate.

The authority spent millions to improve the system including new sewage lines in the Coplay Creek Interceptor that reduce infiltration, video cameras that identified leaks and installing flow-monitoring meters in the system.

An audit of the system showed the main pipelines to be at acceptable standards.

Part of the mandate requires the municipality to check the residence of every rate payer to see if the clear water is handled properly. The prime focal point is clear water that enters sewer lines from residential downspouts connected to a sewer line or from sump pumps. The mandates requires that a representative visit every resident to check for violations. To date, the CWSA has contacted and verified 65 percent of its ratepayers.

When Allentown proposed to lease its sewer facilities, the authority expressed concerns that Allentown and some of the signatories were not taking sufficient action to meet the EPA mandates. The authority feared that the cost of the EPA compliance would be borne by all signatories, although the CWSA was ahead in meeting the requirements.

The Lehigh County Authority took over the Allentown Wastewater Treatment plant and agreed to address the problems among the signatories.

The LCA met to discuss details of the agreement last month, and although the results could impact rate payers, the LCA removed all reporters from the public meeting.

The decision made at the meeting was a request for a time extension to complete the mandate.

The CWSA agreed to file for an extension, but decided to work independently with the EPA.

"We sent a letter to the LCA informing them of our plans," said board Chairman John Schreiner.

Clear water inspections require the authority to get permission from the homeowner to access the property. Board member Joseph Marx has the responsibility to meet clear water inspections mandate.

"We have started making calls to homeowners and are having a good response," Marx said.

In earlier meetings, fines and penalties were discussed as a way to improve compliance, but the idea was temporarily rejected to see if homeowners would respond to a more pro-active effort by the authority.

Clear water inspections remain the last hurdle to meet the mandate's requirements.