Updating its water extraction ordinance remains a primary focus in West Penn Township.

Supervisor Tony Prudenti suggested at Monday's board of supervisors meeting that the township look to put together a citizens committee."It's to get concerned citizens in there to voice their opinions to help the township," Prudenti said. "I think the more people we get involved with anything, the better it is."Prudenti then urged residents to attend the next meeting of the township's planning commission, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 22.Under public comment, resident Elaine Lapinsky once again voiced her concerns with the amount of water that's being taken out of the township.Prudenti told Lapinsky the township cannot regulate water extraction.Board Chairman Jim Dean concurred, and said the township is limited in what it can do.Lapinsky then questioned why the water extractors are able to put in so many wells.In June, resident David Lapinsky asked supervisors that a moratorium be put on water extraction in the community.Lapinsky said at that time he believes what's taking place is not water harvesting, but rather, water extraction.Prudenti said that was his recommendation on his very first day in office, but that the board's former solicitor had left now-board solicitor Holly Heintzelman a letter indicating that a moratorium would not be legal.Heintzelman agreed that no moratorium should be placed on water extraction in the township.Prudenti reiterated his stance that his concern remains getting trucks off the township's roads.Jay Land, president and owner of Ringgold Acquisition Group II LLC, previously noted that a settlement was recently reached between M.C. Resource Development Company and the state Department of Environmental Protection on property known as Pine Valley, which has been a raw spring water source for bottled water plants.Land then thanked the board, as well as its predecessor board, for not only dealing with water extraction, but also for treating him with respect under the circumstances.In May, Prudenti said his solution to get truck traffic off the township's roads was to negotiate a water extraction and road agreement with Land, and suggested that at Land's expense, he run a pipeline out onto a state road.Prudenti said the township is trying to update the township's water extraction ordinance to try to make it a little bit tougher than it is right now.In a letter to the board, Prudenti said he would like to propose that the board, on behalf of the township, negotiate a water extraction and road agreement with Land.As a starting point, Prudenti proposed they negotiate that the zone of influence be extended to a 1½-mile radius. The current DEP zone of influence is a quarter-mile, he said.Prudenti also suggested constructing a pipeline to state roads for the loading of water into trucks, with the township helping procure rights of way if it is not able to use its own.Additionally, Prudenti suggested a $10,000 yearly road maintenance and repair fee for each well site for roads affected by truck traffic.Prudenti has said on several occasions that the township has to look at protecting residents' wells, eliminating truck traffic and saving roads.