The Slatington Borough has received a $395,185 Small Water and Sewer Grant to update the aging 1950s water treatment plant.

The plant serves not only Slatington, but Walnutport and parts of Washington Township. Between the three municipalities, an estimated 1.5 million gallons of water and waste passes through the system a day."Step one was getting the grant," said plant Director Duane Szczesny.The funding from Commonwealth Financing Agency will be used to convert one of two digestion tanks to an aerobic design and make necessary installations and repairs. As it stands, neither of the tanks on site are functioning. To date only a small portion of the 1950s-constructed tank capacity is in play for sludge-holding purposes."We are going to utilize the 1995-built tank that is already here and get rid of the old equipment," he said.The process used at the plant incorporates the naturally occurring methane gas from the waste to heat the furnace that is then used to heat the sludge in the tank, breaking it down creating, more methane that is then sent back to the furnace to start the process all over again."It's a closed loop but it's very unstable and is an explosion hazard. I want to get all of that out of here," he said."We are getting rid of the explosion hazard by updating the process. It really is a win-win for the borough."The plant, originally constructed in 1956 and expanded in 1995, houses two digesters, two filters and two clarifiers. The clarifiers filter the water and waste that flows into the plant allowing the waste to settle and "sludge" to form. Once the sludge reaches a height of one-and-a-half feet inside the clarifiers, a valve is turned to allow the excess sludge to move into the 1950s constructed digester.The digester is supposed to use the naturally occurring methane gas to send a "bubble" down to the bottom of the structure to mix up the sludge, breaking it down to an acceptable level and then pumped into three trucks to be hauled out of town during the week."We pump the sludge out now to keep levels where they need to be and to not get violations," he said."The newer digester tank we added in the '90s is offline. That's what we are using the grant for," he said.The digester constructed in the '50s will still be on reserve for any emergency situation."I'm trying to utilize what we have," he said.The plant will install a "blower" system inside the offline tank, using air instead of methane to mix and thicken the sludge in the revamped tank creating a denser consistency. The blowers will be powered by electricity, blowing air through lines constructed in the bottom of the tank."It'll be a kind of whirlpool tub. It'll blow the air up and mix the sludge," he said.Clear water separated from the waste will be taken from the top of the sludge and sent back to the beginning of the plant at the start of the process."It's a safer and cleaner process. The typical sewer smell will be a lot less," Szczesny said."I'm send out the sludge at 1 percent now, with the new digester the thickness will be 4 percent. It will save the borough money because it will be fewer trips with fewer trucks," he said.According to the plant director he first learned of the grant opportunity from former District 183 Rep. Julie Harhart, R-Lehigh/Northampton."She informed the borough office. We were told it could be used for this and that's how the ball go rolling," he said.After Judith Danko was hired by borough council she contacted the newly voted-in Rep. Zach Mako to help with acquiring the grant."This funding will help make necessary upgrades that will not only improve the plant's operations but also make them safer. I'm pleased to have been able to advance this project that Harhart began," Mako said."This grant hasn't been available for some time. There were a lot of applications," Danko said."We need it so badly," she said."We've been working together to make sure the maintenance and requirements are being kept up. We're moving in the right direction," said Danko.The plant has been violation free for over a year."We are moving forward with a proactive approach, and it's been positive," she said."I'm ecstatic we got the grants, it's really going to help everyone," said Szczesny.