At the June 15 meeting of Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority, the board tossed a bid for a solar energy array that would provide power to the Eberhart pump station.

“The project was spec’d for American-made solar panels recommended by Endless Energy. The manufacturer of the panels closed up along with most of the other American solar panel manufacturers,” Solicitor Jack Stover said.

The cost to create a “green job” in the United States is a subject of debate at the highest levels. According to reports issued by the Department of Energy, it costs $4 million to create one green job. European countries with similar cost restraints are able to create green jobs for $800,000. The cost is far less in Pacific Rim countries.

CWSA’s goal was to have the solar panels up and running for the summer season when they would generate the most energy. This new delay reduces the urgency for an immediate deadline.

“Any new bid would miss the summer time window. We can take time to get all the specifications and see what panels are best,” Darryl Jenkins, CWSA’s engineer, said.

Jenkins will rework the specification.

“We need to close out the bid we awarded because [Endless Energy] can’t meet the specs, but we still want to use solar power at Eberhart,” Chairman John Schreiner said.

Also at the meeting, Jenkins updated the board on the problem-plagued project on Front Street in Coplay.

“We have about 250 feet of pipe remaining to be installed ... and the lateral services. I’m estimating we have two or three weeks left before we can start street improvements,” he said.

A complaint from a homeowner on a slow-draining lateral showed that a section of the new mainline dropped and snapped the pipe.

“It was in the area where we had a lot of soil problems. The ground was compacted, but it was wet,” Jenkins said. “The contractor will go in and open the area, compact the soil and reset the pipe. With the soil drier, I expect we will get better compaction.”

Details on how costs will be split are still being worked out. Jenkins will work closely with Coplay Borough Engineer Dan Witczak to detail cost responsibilities between CWSA, the borough, UGI and homeowners.

In other news, Lehigh County Authority is seeking the go-ahead for multiple projects to increase the peak capacity of the Allentown Wastewater Treatment Plant. In the interim, CWSA is working with LCA and the EPA to allow blending in the Lehigh River. In this context, blending would allow more sewage to be released into the Lehigh River when flows are high.

According to Jenkins, EPA sets its discharge standards based on the lowest level of water in the past 10 years.

“We can meet their standards, but during peak times, we need to discharge more into the river. The river has more water and is flowing faster, so this should not be a problem,” he said.

Diluting sewage was the only practice followed for thousands of years. It is only recently that sewage is treated before being diluted. The blending standards would be used until higher peak capacity is built into the wastewater plant. The blending plan is being reviewed to ensure there is no harm to the environment.