Catasauqua

PROTECTING THE WATERSHEDS OF THE lehigh valley

The Borough of Catasauqua (Borough) maintains an on-going, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) which is implemented in accordance with the Federal General Pretreatment Regulations for Existing and New Sources of Pollution (40 CFR Part 403). This program was originally approved by the EPA in November 1985. As part of the Borough’s IPP, all industrial and commercial users included in the program are issued either a Level 1 or Level 2 Watershed Protection Permit (permit) which identifies standard conditions, establishes narrative and numeric wastewater discharge limitations and contains requirements for monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping. The Borough regularly reviews and evaluates all monitoring data collected from permitted users, inspects these facilities, schedules unannounced monitoring events and, as necessary, issues non-compliance notifications or notices of violation, collects administrative fines and develops administrative orders. The Borough monitors its WWTP influent, effluent and sludge for pollutants of concern established as part of the IPP and performs this same monitoring at four key locations in its sewer service area. The Borough also sends out questionnaires to potential new users to be included in the IPP, sends out permit renewal applications, prepares and issues new permits, updates their local limits as needed and prepares and submits required annual IPP reports to EPA.

Nestled between the Catasauqua Creek and the Lehigh River, Catasauqua is a suburb of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley Region. Settled in 1805 it was historically a manufacturing town and was the site of the first manufactured anthracite iron in the US. During the First World War, it became the first town to raise a million dollars in war bonds, earning it the nickname of The Million Dollar Town. Its current population is 6,500.