Lehighton has filed a lawsuit against an environmental firm that caused damage during an environmental investigation.

After about 70-minute executive session, borough council unanimously agreed last week to file the suit against MEA for a sewer line breach.

Borough Manager Dane DeWire said Friday morning that MEA is an environmental firm that was hired by the Sunoco gas station on Route 443 to do an environmental investigation.

DeWire said that last year, during one of their environmental investigations, they drilled into a borough sewer main located behind the Beacon Diner

“The borough ate the costs of the repairs, which totaled over $26,000,” DeWire said. “The borough and MEA have been volleying the responsibility of the breach to no avail, so council has decided to file a suit to collect the damages.