Securing Lehigh County’s Future Together

Stakeholder Input for the Industrial Pretreatment Plant Upgrade and Expansion

With a talented workforce, access to East Coast markets, and the availability of high-quality, low-cost water services, our region is an ideal location for food and beverage manufacturers. It’s why Boston Beer, Keurig Dr Pepper, Ocean Spray, Coca-Cola, and other product leaders have made Lehigh County their home. A key facility that connects these manufacturers to our area is the Lehigh County Authority (LCA) Industrial Pretreatment Plant (PTP).

Today, we need to determine if we should invest in the PTP or change how the region manages its industrial wastewater service needs. Over the course of 2024, LCA engaged key regional stakeholders through a Stakeholder Advisory Panel to help guide the PTP’s future.

About the Industrial Pretreatment Plant

For more than 40 years, the LCA PTP has supported our environment and economy. This facility is an essential component of the sewer system that removes harmful pollutants from industrial customers’ wastewater before sending it into the system. This helps keep our communities and waterways healthy and controls treatment costs. However, it is approaching the end of its useful life and needs to be expanded to continue protecting our environment and serving the manufacturers who power our region’s economy.

In addition to its economic and environmental benefits, the PTP supports growth in Lehigh County. Adequate sewer capacity to serve future customers is an essential ingredient in the recipe for planned growth in Lehigh County.​ Today, our sewer system, including the PTP, is maxed out. Without a plan to enhance system capacity, communities that are still growing will not be able to add new customers and new industries will not be able to locate here. To protect Lehigh County’s economy and ensure the PTP continues functioning, we plan to conduct significant upgrades on the overloaded and aging system.

Stakeholder Advisory Panel

Beginning in April 2024, LCA reached out to key stakeholders to discuss the PTP and the critical decisions that must be made in the near future. The following organizations and individuals were active participants in one or more of the Stakeholder Advisory Panel meetings, and provided support and feedback throughout the engagement process:

  • Boston Beer Co.

  • City Center Group

  • City of Allentown

  • Coca-Cola

  • County of Lehigh

  • Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce

  • Jaindl Land Co.

  • Keurig Dr Pepper

  • LCA Board of Directors

  • Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC)

  • Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC)

  • Lower Macungie Township

  • Ocean Spray

  • Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

  • Pa. Representative Mike Schlossberg

  • Pa. Senator Jarrett Coleman

  • Pennsylvania Governor's Action Team

  • Pretreatment Information Exchange

  • SunOpta

  • Upper Macungie Township

Key Discoveries

The Panel’s recommendations were informed by the following discoveries from the stakeholder engagement process:

  • The industries using the PTP today have a significant economic benefit – nearly 3000 jobs and generating $250 million in annual earnings

  • Most of the region’s growth will come from existing industries

  • Developing capacity for future use may cause financial strain long term

  • Feedback about current PTP users’ decision-making processes will help LCA create a customized approach to PTP upgrades

  • LCA’s current financial challenges associated with the PTP operation must be resolved

Panel Priorities

The Panel determined that the best solution for the PTP will be one that:

  • Addresses current industries’ needs

  • Supports the region’s desired economic development goals

  • Makes sense financially for customers of today and tomorrow

  • Ensures continued protection of our environmental resources

Panel Recommendations

The Stakeholder Advisory Panel’s recommendations are summarized below. These recommendations will be presented to LCA’s Board of Directors, municipal partners within the regional sewer planning process, and other entities with decision-making responsibilities associated with the PTP.

Customized Industry Solutions – The Panel supports a solution that is customized to meet the needs of current industrial customers. This includes allowing industries to “opt-in” or “opt-out” of the PTP upgrade.

Exploring Ways to Meet Future Industrial Needs – The Panel expressed concern about accommodating future growth and ensuring future upgrades to the PTP are cost-effective. LCA is exploring this issue further.

Pursuit of Grants – The Panel supports LCA’s continued pursuit of grants, tax credits, and other funding sources that will be supportive of existing industrial customers.

More Information

If you’re interested in learning more about the Stakeholder Advisory Panel’s meetings and decisions, you can explore the menu of resources below. The menu provides links to meeting presentations and the formal Stakeholder Advisory Panel recommendation summary.

  • This report dives into LCA's stakeholder engagement process, the creation of the Stakeholder Advisory Panel, and final recommendations from the Panel.

    Download the report here.

  • At the kickoff meeting, significant time was spent reviewing background information and facts and figures, to help build the stakeholders’ understanding of the issues. Key topics presented included:

    • Overview of Kline’s Island Sewer System and regional sewer planning reports

    • Historical and technical review of industrial pretreatment services in Lehigh County

    • Major challenges associated with current PTP operations and finance

    • Review of major categories of options, and their associated costs and benefits

    Download the May 8 meeting presentation here.

  • The second Panel meeting focused on a more detailed presentation, covering some of the following key topics:

    • Overview of the LVPC’s FutureLV plan, including emphasis on planning for water and sewer

    • Regional economic impact of the PTP in terms of current jobs, total revenues, and supporting industries

    • Review of other factors that make Lehigh County attractive for industries, including workforce availability and transportation

    • More detailed review of the PTP service area and the limitations on industrial-zoned land

    Download the June 5 meeting presentation here.

  • At the third meeting, LCA presented key discoveries from the stakeholder process, and sought feedback on the customized solution. Key discoveries presented included:

    • 70% of regional growth will come from existing customers/facilities, not new facilities

    • The decision regarding the PTP impacts each industrial customer differently, so a custom solution may be best

    • The Panel wants a financial solution that enables on-going capital investment in the PTP to ensure future needs are met

    • The solution must preserve the waste hauler program, which was considered to be an essential service for the region

    Download the July 17 presentation here.