Whether or not Blue Mountain Ski Area can expand its wastewater treatment plant should soon be determined.

The Delaware River Basin Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 9, to discuss the matter. A business meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 10.Both the hearing and business meeting are open to the public, and will be held at the Carvel State Building, 820 North French Street, 2nd Floor Auditorium, Wilmington, DE.Keystone Consulting Engineers submitted the application to the DRBC, on behalf of Tuthill Corporation, on March 18 for the renewal of an existing discharge from the Blue Mountain Ski Area wastewater treatment plant. The applicant has also requested approval to expand the facility from being able to treat and discharge 0.06 million gallons per day, to 0.28 million gallons per day.The wastewater treatment plant will continue to discharge treated effluent to the Aquashicola Creek at River Mile 183.66-36.32-5.73 (Delaware River, Lehigh River, Aquashicola Creek) via Outfall No. 001, within the drainage area of the section of the nontidal Delaware River known as the Lower Delaware, which is classified as Special Protection Waters, in Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County.National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit No. PA 0063428 for this project was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Feb. 1, 2011.The PADEP issued an internal review and recommendation for Water Quality Management Permit No. 1311401 related to this project on April 2, 2012.In accordance with the IR&R, the PADEP will issue the Water Quality Management Permit following approval of this docket by the Commission.The application was reviewed for approval under Section 3.8 of the Delaware River Basin Compact. The Carbon County Planning Commission has been notified of pending action.The existing wastewater treatment plant consists of a communitor/bar screen, a surge tank, three aeration tanks, three clarifiers, two sludge storage tanks, a chlorine contact tank, and a post aeration tank.The expanded plant would consist of three communitors/bar screens, a surge tank, five aeration tanks, five clarifiers, four sludge storage tanks, two chlorine contact tanks, and two post aeration tanks.The project facilities are not located in the 100-year floodplain. Wasted sludge will continued to be hauled off-site by a licensed hauler for disposal at a state-approved facility.The overall cost of this project is estimated to be $1,224,180.