Revised 8/22/22
North Lebanon Township Municipal Authority (NLTMA) was formed in 1982.
The 5-member board is made up of township residents who are appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
The board members serve 5-year terms and meet monthly at the township building.
NLTMA operates a collection system that is over 60 miles long and currently has 7 pumping stations. Most collection systems are significantly smaller with less pumping stations.
NLTMA has 4793 EDUs (Equivalent Dwelling Units). This is not the number of customers, as some customers are assessed with multiple EDUs. The EDUs are assigned based on a chart issued by the City of Lebanon Authority (CoLA).
When someone becomes a customer of NLTMA, they must purchase capacity in the CoLA wastewater treatment plant, and a fee is charged to pay for the capacity. To date, NLTMA has purchased 1,085,180 gallons of capacity per day from CoLA.
The NLTMA collection system transports the sewage to CoLA located on Ridgeview Rd where it is then treated. Both NLTMA and CoLA incur costs to either transport or treat the sewage, so fees are assessed by both groups.
Prior to 2010, there were 2 groups of sewer customers in the township: “Authority” customers and “Township” customers. Township customers had pipes made of either terra cotta or ductile iron installed in the 1970s and now reaching the end of their useful life. Authority customers live in areas where plastic (PVC) pipe has been installed by developers or NLTMA.
In the early 1990s discussions began on “unification” of the 2 groups of customers with the ultimate goal to have one unified system. In 1999, the Authority unified the 2 Authority groups of ratepayers. At the time, the Township customers were still their own group despite many discussions. The compromise was that when a Township home was sold, the new owner would become an Authority customer. It was believed that in about 10 years, the turnover would be complete, and every customer would then become an Authority customer. After 2009, the turnover had not yet happened and there were 934 of the 4630 EDUs that were still Township customers.
A rate study factoring in operational costs and capital improvements was performed in 2009 to assess the financial direction for NLTMA, and to use as a future budget planning tool. The Board of Supervisors and the Authority Board met to discuss the results of the rate study. At the November 8, 2009, Authority Board meeting it was decided to unify the entire system.
NLT customer fees are based on a flat rate of $78/qtr/EDU which is paid to NLTMA, along with a fee assessed by CoLA that is based on the water usage of the customer. CoLA instituted a rate increase effective April 1, 2021. The minimum cost for an NLT customer is $116.54/qtr/EDU based on a usage reading of zero (0) gallons for the quarter. An average bill, based on 15,000 gal/qtr/EDU would be $172.04. Not all municipalities use this method to bill their customers, nor are all CoLA charges the same throughout the County. Some municipalities in Lebanon County do not transport their sewage to CoLA.
NLTMA is very proactive in maintaining the collection system and has been working on I&I prevention for over 10 years. I&I is infiltration and inflow which occurs when water gets in the collection system. The water takes up valuable capacity in the wastewater treatment plant and collection systems. This also increases the electricity use as well as extra operational fees. If the pipes are broken, raw sewage can flow freely into the groundwater sources and waterways or can also result in sewage backups into residences and businesses. Infrastructure repairs are reviewed yearly, and the proper rehabilitation is scheduled for the following budget year based on the data that has been collected.
NLTMA meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, and we welcome the public.