At its regular meeting March 17, members of the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority board met in executive session to discuss possible litigation matters. Earlier in the week, Lehigh County Authority (LCA) notified the City of Allentown that it was challenging lease terms for the Allentown wastewater treatment plant. LCA cited revenue projections as one area understated.

Two years ago, Allentown leased its water and sewer facility to LCA in exchange for a one-time payment to reduce municipal debt.

Since the initial agreement, Allentown has been beset with accusations of corruption at various levels.

“We can’t comment on anything at this time,” said CWSA Solicitor John Stover. “We were only notified of the LCA action a few hours before it was released to the papers.”

The board did pass a measure that gave Stover the right to negotiate with LCA and the other municipalities that use the Allentown wastewater treatment plant “to protect the rights of the ratepayers.”

No one is sure what the implications of LCA’s action will entail, but there are numerous interested parties - not just the city of Allentown. When the idea of leasing the facility to an outside party was proposed, CWSA expressed its opposition, citing potential revenue problems as one of its objections.

In other action, CWSA made application for available Community Development Block Grants for sewer-related projects. One priority is an improvement on Front Street in Coplay.

Darryl Jenkins, the board’s engineer, reported that projects scheduled to start in March had been delayed. He said he would contact the contractors to get everything back on schedule.