The Salisbury Township Environmental Advisory Council's request for the township to hire a part-time person to administer portions of the Environmental Protection Agency's MS4 mandate has been received by the township board of commissioners.

It is expected the commissioners will discuss the request at the next township workshop following the regular meeting, 7 p.m. March 12 in the township municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

Salisbury Township Manager Randy Soriano, in his report to the board of commissioners at the Feb. 26 commissioners' meeting, said he received a letter signed by Kreg Ulery, township EAC chairperson, requesting a part-time person be hired to enforce MS4.

MS4 is shorthand for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, with the "M" standing for "Municipal" and the numeral "4" representing the four "S" first letters of each word in Separate Storm Sewer System.

MS4 pertains to a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection program to improve surface waters by reducing pollutants transported through runoff into the storm sewer system during rainfall.

Soriano noted the EAC was encouraged to follow up on MS4 requirements. Soriano said the EAC letter stated the EAC is comfortable with carrying out the first two mandates, but not all of them.

"They don't have the capabilities in-house to do it," Soriano said of the EAC, adding the volunteer advisory group's recommendation "is that we should hire a part-timer.

"I believe we have staff in-house that can do it with the assistance of our engineer," Soriano said.

Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tetemer of Keystone Consulting Engineers made presentations to commissioners and the EAC concerning MS4 requirements.

Soriano said the EAC could handle the first two mandates, the public involvement and publicity concerning MS4. "The other technical aspects, I don't see the SEC doing it," Soriano said.

Under 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 DEP, which has federal oversight from the Environmental Protection Agency.

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

Daily fines for noncompliance were to have started at the end of 2014. However, as of the deadline for this article, the township has not been notified by the DEP of any fines relating to MS4 noncompliance.

Soriano said he would circulate a copy of the EAC letter to commissioners for possible discussion at the next township meeting workshop.

Commissioners did not comment on Soriano's remarks nor the EAC letter.

Commissioner Joanne Ackerman is the commissioners' representative to the EAC and attends its meeting.

"There's so many loose ends. I think there needs to be a person to pull it all together," Ackerman said at the Feb. 18 EAC meeting.

"Part of the problem is that this [MS4 mandates] is beyond the scope of the EAC," Salisbury Township Director of Planning and Zoning Cynthia Sopka, EAC secretary, said at the EAC meeting.

"The township doesn't have a choice. They must comply," EAC vice chairperson Glenn Miller said.

"The first step is to put this letter to the board," Ulery said.

"That will start the discussion," Sopka said.

The EAC voted 4-0, with one member absent, to approve sending its MS4 recommendation letter to commissioners.

The EAC voted 4-0, with one member absent, at its Nov. 19, 2014, meeting to urge commissioners to hire a part-time MS4 coordinator.

The EAC was briefed about the MS4 mandates at its Sept. 17, 2014, meeting by Tettemer, assisted by Benjamin D. Bowen, also of Keystone Consulting Engineers.

Also at the Feb. 18 EAC meeting, Ulery was re-elected chairperson and Miller was re-elected vice chairperson. Newly-appointed EAC member Karen El Chaar attended her first EAC meeting.

The township EAC next meets 7 p.m. March 18 in the municipal building.