Planning - ACT 537

Click here to view and fill out an online copy of the green survey sent to all home addresses in North Whitehall Township. Download the file to view and complete as a fillable PDF. Once complete, please email to survey to Andrea Martin at Barry Isett and Associates at amartin@barrysiett.com

North Whitehall Township is planning for the future. After recently working through the Township's Comprehensive Plan and nearly complete with the update Zoning Ordinance and map, the next large scale planning document to be updated will be the Township's ACT 537 Sewage Facilities Plan.

The purpose of the DEP sewage facilities program is to implement the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537) in order to help address existing sewage disposal needs, and to help prevent future problems through the proper planning, permitting, and design of all types of sewage facilities.

Visit the PA DEP Act 537 Sewage Facilities Program

The ACT 537 Sewage Facilities Plan is a comprehensive overview of the existing and future sewage collection, conveyance and treatment in both public and private service areas within the Township. This means that:

• Existing public sewer service areas will be evaluated for capacity and availability of future service connections
• Existing areas with on-lot septic systems will be evaluated for future needs due to environmental or public health concerns
• Future development potential with respect to the Comp Plan and Zoning Ordinance Updates will be considered
  
  

We have partnered with Barry Isett and Associates to complete this Task. Over the course of the next few months you will be provided the opportunity to voice your comments and concerns through multiple avenues.

In the short term you will receiving a mailed survey form to fill out and submit. This is the preliminary data collection to lay the groundwork for the direction of the plan. The information provided through these surveys will be summarized for evaluation in the plan.

Surveys can be:

• Returned by mail
• Dropped off at the Township building
• Dropped off at the Barry Isett office at 5420 Crackersport Road, Allentown Pa 18064
• Scanned and emailed to amartin@barrysiett.com
  
  

In addition to the mailed survey, the consultant will be conducting door to door surveys at random locations in the Township to verify the data. The PA DEP requires a certain percentage of public participation in order to validate the alternatives for sewage disposal practices in the plan. The Township encourages full participation as the more information we receive the better informed we will be to make decisions.

Once the survey data is compiled, the engineering consultant will be available to discuss the results with the board of supervisors in a public forum. In all likelihood the discussion will take place at the regular board of supervisors meetings, but those with the ACT 537 on the agenda for updates and discussion will be listed below. Any special meetings or public comment meetings will also be posted below.

The anticipated schedule is highly dependent on the needs survey results and that will ultimately drive the meeting schedule to present and discuss the potential alternatives.

It should be noted that the process to develop a document that is acceptable to the Pa DEP means that multiple alternatives will be evaluated even though they may not be popular or affordable or even technically possible, but they still must be identified and discussed in the document.

Any potentially viable options for new public sewer service areas will be reviewed with the Township supervisors in a public meeting session prior to finalizing the document.

Once the Supervisors are comfortable with the final plan recommendations and information, the plan will be submitted to the Township and Lehigh Valley Planning Commissions for review and comment. Once the 30 days comment period is expired and any comments received are addressed, the 30 day public notice will be posted. This is the final opportunity for the public to comment on the plan. Any comments received must be reviewed and responded to. If no changes to the plan are needed due to comments received, the plan can then be adopted by the Board of Supervisors and submitted to the Pa DEP for review and approval.