New Ringgold Borough is considering selling the borough dam in East Brunswick Township.

Council will open bids received at its monthly meeting at the New Ringgold Sewage Treatment Plant building. The topic has been discussed for months, Larry Padora, council president said Thursday.

“We don’t know if anybody is going to bid on this,” he said.

No one from the local fire company spoke at any meeting to express concern, he said.

The approximately 30-acre parcel has been appraised, although Padora would not provide an amount. By law, the borough can’t sell the property for less than its fair market value.

“This is a wetland and swamp,” he said.

Road frontage to Route 895 does not exist, Padora said, although some access is available from another area.

The potential sale of the property is to “save our sewage treatment plant,” he said.

The borough owns the plant but will be forced to incur additional costs in about two years for state Department of Environmental Protection mandated testing to ensure they are not exceeding acceptable levels. Other treatment plants have similar testing required. Right now, the borough tests every other day.

That will change to daily, increasing costs, something the borough is trying to avoid passing on to residents.

He estimated current monthly costs at $1,600 for a contracted plant operator, who comes in every other day, about $1,400 a month for chemicals and other incidental expenses.

He said costs will likely double when the mandate is required.

Compounding the problem are customers who do not pay their sewer bills. Padora said there are some who owe thousands.

He said there are probably at least 20 people who the borough is in the process of filing liens against.

The monthly sewer charge is $65. If the borough does not sell the dam, it could be forced to increase rates to pay for the mandated testing, Padora said.

The borough still has to pay a $3,300 a month loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority. About 15 years are left on the loan, Padora said.

He said the borough is not agreeing to sell the dam unless the minimum bid of $200,000 is met. The borough fire company uses the dam for its dry hydrant.

There are no fire hydrants in New Ringgold.

The Schuylkill River and a small creek run through the borough. He did not know the last time the river was used as a water source.

Padora said if water is needed, the New Ringgold Fire Company uses the dry hydrant, water from tankers or relies on the other fire companies the borough has mutual aid agreements with.

Any agreement that is signed must include that the fire company is permitted to use the dry hydrant forever.

He said the property has never been used for anything else than the dry hydrant. Padora said he spoke with the president of the fire company who said as long as they are allowed to use the hydrant they do not object to the sale.

Money from the sale of the dam would go to paying the PennVest loan and refinancing the remaining amount at a lower rate.

“The town will not lose the right to its water. We will not put that in jeopardy,” Padora said.