In its continuing efforts to maintain and upgrade the Salisbury Township infrastructure and meet state and federal requirments, improvements are planned for a sanitary sewer rehabilitation project along East Montgomery Street, East Lynnwood Street, East Wayne Avenue and Cypress Avenue in the township.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 at the Jan. 22 meeting to submit a Community Development Block Grant application to Lehigh County.

Salisbury Township Manager Randy Soriano was authorized to apply for the $153,000 grant.

Soriano said he must make the presentation in person before the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners. The presentation will probably take place in February.

The township would provide a 10 percent match to the grant, as required, should it be approved. These "soft costs," which would consist of engineering and professional fees, would be paid for by the township.

The improvements would involve test and seal repairs and repairs to manholes and sewer main lines.

Commissioner Vice President Debra Brinton asked for details of the project.

"It's where we go in and do TV testing maybe grouting," David J. Tettemer, Keystone Consulting Engineers, township consulting engineering firm said.

"This is a grant to allow the township to continue that work in that area for the next two years," Tettemer said.

"Right now there's portions of the sanitary sewer system where some of the joints leak after 40 to 50 years," Tettemer continued.

"You can go in and grout it so stormwater and ground water does not go into the system," Tettemer said.

Salisbury Township, along with other Lehigh Valley municipalities, received notice June 25, 2014, of a 30-day deadline to provide EPA with evidence of MS4 compliance.

A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System is composed of drainage systems, including streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels and storm pipes owned by a municipality.

As part of the federal Clean Water Act, a municipality is required to have an MS4 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit to cover stormwater discharges and to maintain compliance with the permit.

In Pennsylvania, the MS4 program is administered by the Department of Environmental Protection, which has federal oversight from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Brinton asked if the streets would need to be excavated. She was assured they would not be.

CDBG grants are administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Per HUD requirements, the area where CDBG ground would be used must have a certain percentage of low- to moderate-income households.

The area of the township where the grant would be used is referred to as Basin 10, Census Block Group 3, where 38.92 percent are low- to moderate-income households.

The work will need to be put out for bid.