Blue Mountain Ski Resort is in the midst of a multiphase project to become a year-round resort.

A hot springs-style pool will open by the fall of 2016.However, the $20 million-plus Summit Splash Water Park won't be completed until 2017, according to owner Barbara Green.Green said the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority agreed to provide a $500,000 grant for the project to extend a 1.7 mile natural gas pipeline onto the resort's property, and construct a natural gas combined heat and power plant.Combined with its own co-generation plant that will produce clean and low-cost energy, Green anticipates cost and fuel use will be reduced substantially."The biggest thing is this whole concept related to energy," Green said. "Electricity is our second-highest cost."The plant is expected to be up by October 2016, Green said.Water parkGreen said Blue Mountain's five-year plan includes a hotel located near the Summit Lodge."Instead of this being a three-month-out-of-the-year operation, we will now make it a six-month-out-of-the-year operation," she said. "I think we're at a much better place to get that joint venture partner, or sell the financing to the banks."Green said an investment broker was hired to help find capital."We have come to realize we're not going to get a bank to do this; we're beyond that when we talk this level of development," she said. "We're definitely looking for a capital partner to do this; another partner or joint venture on the park."The park is expected to be completed by 2017, Green said.Once completed, the park is expected to create more than 200 full-time jobs, and will include a giant wave pool, a lazy river and tubing slides all in a beautiful mountain setting.The overall theme of the park will be "playful fun in a beautiful mountain setting."The idea for the park began several years ago, when Green envisioned expanding the resort to a year-round facility.Summit Splash will be located in a resort and recreation zoning district, adjacent to the ski area on about 20 acres of the 58-acre parcel at 1660 Blue Mountain Drive.Green said the water park is being built in phases.The first phase will be the water park, and the second phase will include hotels/time-shares and more rides, if the water park proves successful.Summit Splash will be an outdoor water splash park that will include rides themed after historic areas of Carbon County, such as the Lehigh River, mining, railroads and the rich canal history, Green said.Whole hospitalityThough Blue Mountain is recognized most for skiing, boarding and snowtubing in the winter, it has also ventured into the hospitality business.Other winter sports include terrain parks, big air bag, and USA Luge.Seasonal activities consist of the Slopeside Pub & Grill, disc golf, mountain biking, birthday parties, laser tag, Adventure Camp, and the PA Blues Festival.Special events consist of the Spartan Race, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Oktoberfest, the Harvest Festival, and Microbrew.Treatment plantIn January 2014, the Lower Towamensing Township board of supervisors approved a wastewater treatment agreement with the Tuthill Corporation to provide sewage treatment to the township.The project was put out for bid, but no bids were submitted.The board agreed to negotiate privately with Tuthill, the operator of Blue Mountain Resort.Tuthill will pay an estimated $1.485 million to construct a new plant. The cost for the township to hook up to the plant once it is constructed is $598,604.A new plant will provide wastewater treatment services to residents in the Little Gap, Walkton and Aquashicola geographic area.The Weiner Trailer Court will be hooked up to Palmerton borough's wastewater treatment plant.In September 2013, supervisors agreed to advertise to bid the project, at which time township solicitor Jim Nanovic said the township was looking for a single entity to provide sewage treatment to the township.Nanovic also said at that time that it would not be a township plant, but, rather a private plant, and that Blue Mountain Ski Area was eligible to bid on the project.In July 2013, the Delaware River Basin Commission granted Blue Mountain permission to expand its wastewater treatment plant.At that time, the commission approved the application submitted by Keystone Consulting Engineers, on behalf of Tuthill, for the renewal of an existing discharge from the ski area wastewater treatment plant.That approval came as Blue Mountain began preliminary work on the water park.The approval means the ski resort can now expand the facility from being able to treat and discharge 0.06 million gallons per day to 0.28 million gallons per day.The expanded plant will now have 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 wastewater treatment plant will continue to discharge treated effluent to the Aquashicola Creek, 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.The project facilities are not located in the 100-year floodplain.Waste sludge will continue to be hauled off-site by a licensed hauler for disposal at a state-approved facility.