About 50 years ago, Coaldale, Lansford and Summit Hill created a joint sewer authority. The authority built and maintained a sewage treatment plant that serves the three municipalities.

The respective towns are in charge of maintaining their own sewer lines.Summit Hill Borough Council was told Monday night that the state Department of Environmental Protection wants the joint authority to have even more control of sewer issues. It is suggesting that the scope of the authority be expanded to also improve and even replace sewer lines in the three towns.Summit Hill and the other two involved municipalities don't have a lot of time to think about whether or not they want to keep control of their individual sewage systems.The DEP is demanding an answer by July 31 on the course of action by all three towns. That response will have to include steps for initiating the preparation of a regional Act 537 Plan, which is an engineering report on how all sewage problems in the towns will be resolved.Meanwhile, a meeting is planned for June 3 for the three municipalities regarding this matter.No matter what action the communities eventually take, council members feel that present sewage rates will increase substantially for local residents and business owners. Presently, the minimum sewage rate in Summit Hill is $40 per quarter. Council members say this could be increased by five times or more.Certified letters were sent to Summit Hill, Coaldale, Lansford and the Coaldale-Lansford-Summit Hill Sewer Authority by the DEP on May 12. The letter came nearly a week after a meeting was held at DEP's Wilkes-Barre office with representatives of the four entities.The letter states, "The department believes a regional approach would produce the most feasible solution to wastewater collection and treatment system problems in the area. The department encourages the three borough councils and the Coaldale-Lansford-Summit Hill Sewer Authority Board to discuss, both individually and collectively, the topics discussed with their representatives during the meeting."The DEP wants the municipalities to provide it with "a list of meetings where the sewage facilities were discussed, copies of agendas, copies of meeting minutes, designation of lead contact(s), the status of discussions including future planned activities scheduled for the third quarter of 2015 and steps that have been taken to initiate the preparation of a regional Act 537 Plan."All this information is required by July 31."DEP is not happy," said council member Jesse Walck, who represented Summit Hill at the May 6 meeting with the DEP. He said the sewage treatment plant in Coaldale is overflowing and the sewerage systems in the three municipalities "are in bad shape."He said DEP is giving the municipalities two courses of action: act individually or turn the sewerage systems over to an authority for repairs and replacement.Failure to heed the orders of the DEP could result in hefty fines for the municipalities, he said, telling the council, "If we don't take action, they (DEP) will issue an order. It will not be pleasant."Council President Michael Kokinda said, "Everyone's sewer bill is going to go through the roof."Walck said the DEP pointed out that none of the municipalities except for Lansford doing a little work several years ago have done anything to improve their sewer systems going back to 1991.He said whether the boroughs agree to act individually or turn the matter over to a joint authority, "DEP is running the show this time."