The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued five administrative orders Thursday, two to the Department of Homeland Security and three to local authorities — one each to the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority (SCMA), Tremont Township and Upper Bern Township in Berks County.

DHS has proposed an ICE detention center in Tremont Township, which reports have indicated would be used to hold up to 7,500 people.

According to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office, the area is served by a single ambulance company and five fire departments from surrounding communities. With only three acute care centers in all of Schuylkill County, suddenly increasing the population with detainees would leave residents vulnerable in times of critical need, the office said.

The proposed facility could require up to 800,000 gallons of water per day — more than double the system’s current capacity — potentially draining the community’s reservoir in a single day, leaving homes without water and lives at risk in case of fire.

The DEP orders direct that water and sewage cannot be supplied to the warehouses DHS has recently purchased to use as detention centers — and that the buildings cannot be occupied — until DHS demonstrates compliance with federal and state environmental regulations.

“Based on what the department has learned about DHS’s plans to convert two commercial warehouses into detention centers for 9,000 people, there are serious concerns about the environmental impacts of these actions,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “The conversion of warehouses to detention facilities risks harming the communities in and around Tremont and Upper Bern townships, overwhelming their sewage facilities and exceeding the available drinking water supply.

“Doubling the populations of these areas could drain drinking water sources and lead to polluted waterways from overwhelmed sewage facilities leaking raw waste into our streets and rivers. Just like anyone else, DHS needs to demonstrate its facilities comply with environmental standards.”

In two separate orders to the Department of Homeland Security, DEP directed the federal agency not to use the Upper Bern or SCMA sewer systems for any proposed detention facilities until it has been proven that DHS can safely do so. The orders further specify that holding tanks and septic systems are not allowed without required permits. Additionally, DEP directed DHS not to use SCMA infrastructure for drinking water or use the private well at the Upper Bern warehouse for the proposed facilities without legally required DEP approval. DHS has been directed not to occupy the buildings until the applicable legal requirements are met.

The orders to Tremont and Upper Bern townships prohibit occupancy of the warehouses until further sewage planning and permitting is obtained from DEP and prohibits each township from accepting sewage from holding tanks or portable toilets without further authorization. Each township operates a sewage treatment plant that could need to be redesigned and significantly modified to receive the amount of expected wastewater from a detention center.

The order to SCMA prohibits providing drinking water to a detention center from the SCMA Tremont water system, which protects against excessive strain on a water infrastructure system that is already being supported through emergency measures.

For sewage, DEP similarly ordered SCMA that it could not provide sewage service or accept sewage from portable toilets at the detention center without further permitting and approval from Tremont Township and DEP.

Permits or approvals from DEP are needed for the construction and operation of all changes to drinking water and sewage treatment systems.

The topic was broached at the Schuylkill County commissioners meeting Wednesday.

Residents at the weekly meeting asked Chairman Larry Padora and Commissioner Barron Hetherington, both Republicans, to go on record as being against the center — as minority Democratic Commissioner Gary Hess has.

But Padora explained his first priority is to protect the county from any adverse effects the center may pose.

The next step is a direct meeting with the federal Department of Homeland Security.

“We reached out to DHS for their contact information, and they reached out to us for our contact information,” Padora said, “The governor said he will do everything in his power to stop it. I want to make sure our infrastructure is protected, and I want to see that the facility is subject to regular inspections.”

The Tremont Township detention center would cost an estimated $1 million annually in lost property tax revenue — including a $222,574.31 loss for Schuylkill County, a $195,953.73 loss for Tremont Township and a $555,630.01 loss for the Pine Grove Area School District.

Fire school

While the commissioners are working on getting information about the center, they also are trying to do all of the other tasks commissioners have to perform.

“We are trying to get enough money to finish the fire school,” Padora said, “We got $500,000 so far. This facility is important to all emergency responders — police, ambulance, EMS (emergency medical services) as well as firefighters. Projects like this takes time. We’ve spent a lot of time on this, and we have more work to do.”