At the Oct. 19 meeting of Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority (CWSA), Joseph Marx proposed the board donate $1,000 to Coplay Public Library and Whitehall Township Public Library.

“I was able to take a tour of the library,” Marx said. “I have not been in one in since high school. The Whitehall library was full, and I was surprised at the number of people there.”

According to Marx, libraries have a new requirement for software that ties libraries together. The cost for the software is $15,000, plus an annual support fee of $5,000.

The librarian career, once dominated by “librarians you knew in high school,” has morphed into a high-tech science where new librarians are no longer in a library but concentrate on filing reams of raw data, so it can be retrieved.

CWSA’s contribution is part of its annual assistance to the communities it serves.

The board received correspondence from Lehigh County Authority (LCA) outlining proposed improvements to the Allentown wastewater treatment plant. CWSA runs a collection system and sends all its wastewater to Allentown for treatment. The board elected to review the letter from LCA for review at the next meeting.

Almost two years ago, Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners and CWSA met to discuss providing public sewer lines to 23 homes on Summit Drive. The homes are presently served by on-lot systems that do not meet existing standards. According to Whitehall commissioners, several of the existing systems are near failure. The condition of the existing on-lot systems has not been formally analyzed by CWSA.

There are complications getting the properties served. Board member Paul Geissinger asked CWSA Engineer Darryl Jenkins to make sure that proposals identify properties being served. The board had discussions concerning two homes in the immediate area that posed significant problems to provide effective service.

The rough estimate to provide service is $1.2 million. Jenkins did not provide any input on how residents would be assessed for the cost; the decision on assessed cost rests with Whitehall commissioners.

As Chairman John Schreiner noted, Whitehall Township has not asked for details nor has the process moved along. Whitehall is revising its 537 plan. The 537 plan details how residents will be serviced by public sewer lines.

In other news, the board approved a request to extend an existing main line 135 feet to accommodate a multifamily development. The developer is proposing two four-unit town house configurations. One has access to the sewer line; the other would require the extension.

Jenkins reported to the board that his report based on flow-metering data is being prepared. In his preliminary review, the data shows a smoothening of peak flows. CWSA has made a concerted effort on several high-cost projects to control infiltration into the system.

According to Jenkins, the effort is showing positive results. Flow-meter analysis is data needed to factually discuss improvements proposed by LCA on the Allentown wastewater system.