Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority Chairman John Schreiner read a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency at the authority’s regular meeting March 21, stating that required measures to reduce stormwater infiltration have been met.

“Based on the information provided in semiannual reports, EPA finds that the respondents have completed the requirements set forth in the administrative orders,” wrote Rebecca Crane, EPA Region III, water protection division.

The original administrative order mandated that Lehigh County Authority and all municipalities using the Allentown Wastewater Treatment Plant take specific measures to reduce infiltration into the sewer system. The measures were strict and required significant fiscal expenditures. The purpose of the order was to preserve capacity at the wastewater plant and to reduce plant overflows during high-water events.

Rain and stormwater in the sewer lines increase the amount of water presented to the plant for treatment. By reducing infiltration, the capacity of the plant is increased. Stormwater does not need to be treated. The EPA coordinated this plan with its MS4 program to control stormwater. The systems are anticipated to act synergistically to keep clean water flowing into aquifers while wastewater is treated and released into natural filtration.

The release from the administrative order does not mean an end to efforts to keep water clean. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will take over supervision of compliance using the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting process to assure compliance with the EPA’s regional flow management strategy.

In other business, the authority appointed Andrew Schantz as solicitor. Schantz will replace John Stover, who announced his retirement at the end of last year.

John Borkenhagen, of Whitehall, asked the board to reimburse him for repair expenses he incurred when his sewer line backed up. According to Borkenhagen, the lateral serving his house was clear and a blockage was determined to be in the main line. CWSA responded to his request to clear the main line. A second backup entailed another visit. Schreiner read an incident report indicating the backup was caused by wipes in the lateral line. Borkenhagen was not happy with the result but accepted the ruling.

Wipes are the bane of plumbing problems. They are billed as disposable, but they do not disintegrate in sewer lines - instead, they often clog them. A single wipe can be shown to break down in a lab environment; however, in actual practice, the wipes intertwine and form a tight ball that cannot be broken down naturally, even in the toxic sewer environment.

The authority took an option to grout problem manholes that were allowing ground water infiltration. Initially, there was some skepticism because the amount of water flowing into the manholes was significant. General Manager David Harleman showed before and after pictures of the process. The grout effectively stopped infiltration. There is no guarantee how long the repairs will last, but the manholes are on a regular inspection schedule.

The April meeting of the authority is an annual review of CWSA’s practices, procedures and administrative functions.