Mapping of Salisbury Township stormwater system inlets and outlets is underway. The information will be digitized and available via computer and GPS.

"What we're in the process of doing is mapping the DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] requirement in compliance with MS4," David J. Tettemer, Salisbury Township consulting engineer, of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., reported at the June 25 Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners workshop.

Each inlet is given a number. Its proximity to tributaries is noted. Tettermer listed the Little Lehigh Lehigh River, Trout Creek and Saucon Creek among the tributaries.

"When the Chief [Allen W. Stiles, Salisbury police chief] gets a call about a traffic accident, and there's a spill, approximately 10 gallons discharged into the inlet," Tettemer explained by example.

"This is what the DEP wants to see," Tettemer said. He said similar reporting concerning a spill into an inlet would be done by township fire departments.

"They're [DEP] not looking at penalizing anybody for accidents. They want to have the information," Tettemer said.

"Cynthia's [Cynthia Sopka, Salisbury Township director of planning and zoning] giving me information what the EAC's [Environmental Advisory Council] doing and John's [John Andreas, Salisbury Township director of public works] giving me information on what public works is doing."

The information is put into a computer file. Hard copies are scanned in.

"The intent is to have one person in charge of the data," Tettemer said, adding he will meet with the township manager to determine if the MS4 data wrangler should be a person on staff or a subcontractor

"Get the bones down, build on the foundation and you'll be in great shape," Tettemer told commissioners during his 30-minute presentation.

The township is paying Keystone $25,000 to manage the MS4 program. The cost includes $17,500 for Keystone to map the township's stormwater sewer system and $7,500 for Keystone to oversee the project for six months.

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.

Under the DEP MS4 Stormwater Management Program Protocol, municipalities are required to fulfill six minimum control measures: public education, public participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post-construction stormwater management and pollution prevention for municipal operations and maintenance.

Keystone is in charge of MCM points three through six. The township EAC is in charge of MCM points one and two.

The MS4 program mandated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and enforced by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

An April 14 EPA letter stated Salisbury Township is meeting requirements of the Clean Water Act

Salisbury received a permit, known as a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, in 2003. It expired in 2008 and was extended. The latest NPDE permit for Salisbury is valid until 2017.

As part of the federal Clean Water Act, a municipality is required to have an NPDES permit to cover stormwater discharges and to maintain compliance with the permit.

Salisbury, along with other Lehigh Valley municipalities, received notice last summer to provide EPA with evidence of MS4 compliance.