The May 14 authority meeting was primarily informational, with updates on long-term projects and some discussion, but few decisions ready to be made.

Executive Director Steve Repasch said it had been an active month for the forestry program. A 40-acre controlled burn May 7 went perfectly, clearing space for an oak stand to regenerate, and a meeting with a Stockertown cement company may result in the sale of tall prairie grass from the watershed to fuel cleaner-burning kilns.

Repasch said a risk assessment for authority land regarding the Penn East gas pipeline is expected by month's end, but many factors are still in the air, such as the amount they can charge PennEast for property access and continued flak from Carbon County residents.

The board later agreed to allow the city to lease a section of the once-contentious Illick's Mill to the nonprofit Appalachian Mountain Club, an outdoor enthusiast organization. The lease will begin in December for $1,050 for the first year and the club will have to supply the community with educational material. But, said board member Vaughn Gower, "Well, it sounds like a good use for a vacant building."

Lastly, the board talked with city Director of Water and Sewer Resources Ed Boscola about recent drought scares. Boscola assured directors that while numbers fluctuate and the overall water level did dip significantly in March and April, the city is in no trouble. He said without counting the emergency Tunkhannock area reserve, the Wild Creek and Penn Forrest areas are awash in a combined 10 billion gallons of water. The city never broke below a level which might even suggest a mild rationing.

Boscola said water levels in the region have not been an issue since a historic drought in the 1990s. Though he supplied graphs and numbers, it all essentially meant during the past months the city's water was reduced from much more than needed to more than needed.

The next meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. June 11 at city hall.