Sewer and water issues were the main topic of discussion last night at Slatington's Water/Sewer/Highway Workshop Committee Meeting at borough hall.

This was due, in part, to it being a joint session with the Borough Sewer Authority. Specific subjects included the municipality's grease traps and also how to prevent grit from coming into the pumping stations.In regard to the grease traps, members of the Sewer Borough Authority asked the committee if anything had been done yet about them and if and when inspections of them would take place.In response, Water/Special Sewer Committee Chairman Byron Reed said he would be preparing an initial letter to be sent out to everyone involved asking where they dispose of their grease. He also added that the possible need for inspections was still under review.Next, the Sewer Borough Authority asked if there had been any type of inspection or investigating done in regard to the grit coming into the pumping stations.Reed responded, "No. There's been so much pouring out there, and the only thing they see is the flooding; they don't see the grit." Borough Engineer Larry Turoscy then explained that, "With borough forces, we're trying to set up an inspection of manholes on heavy rain days…that they can go out and run up a line to see, not only for the grit that's coming in thereto see where that might be coming frombut also any heavy flows that are going through the system. We're setting up a priority of where to look." He noted that a log was hoping to be kept during each upcoming heavy rain so that they would know what's happening throughout the entire system, old and new.Later, things got a bit heated when Slatington resident Kris Bureka former Slatington Borough Councilwoman who once served as Chairperson of the Sewer Committeesaid that the last time the Sewer Borough Authority had been present at a joint session, it had asked, "What repairs do you plan to do at the sewer plant?" Burek, who referred to the system as "antiquated", then added, "I still haven't heard the answer…of what you plan to do in the coming years."Reed said that in 2016 they'll be able to make larger repairs because, "then we'll have a half-million dollars." It was a reference back to an earlier comment he'd made when he'd indicated that the borough wouldn't get a kickback from its outstanding loans until then to put into its sewer system. He explained that, until then, only smaller repairs to the system would be made.