Walnutport could have a new pump station by year’s end. The project is expected to cost $1 million.

Ron Kuntz, chairman of the Walnutport Authority, discussed details of the project with borough council on Thursday.

Kuntz told council that the authority has several reservoirs, one of which is on Blue Mountain Drive that has four wells on it and holds 1 million gallons of water.

He said another is on Alder Drive, and is an open reservoir that also is supported by a well, and there also is a filtration station on-site that was put in about 15 years ago at a cost of $750,000.

Kuntz said another well is on Carbon Street by the borough garage.

He said that since Jan. 1, the authority acquired two wells from Becker Homes along Route 145.

“For whatever reason the authority failed to exist, it would become your responsibility,” Kuntz told council. “We are going to take the sewer system over also. That will eventually be part of our system.”

Kuntz said the current plant has been around since the mid-1970s at Main and Lehigh streets.

“We want to put a new pump station between the river and Lehigh Street,” said Kuntz, who added it would be located across the street from the existing one on Lehigh Street.

Kuntz said they are going to need to apply for grants, and noted the authority applied for a $750,000 grant for the project several years ago but only received $75,000.

He told council the goal is to get to 320,000 gallons per day. Right now, the authority’s contract with Slatington says the authority can pump 300,000 gallons per day, but that Slatington asked for another 20,000 gallons per day for future growth.

Kuntz said the authority’s service area includes Walnutport from Birch Street to Route 248, then north to where routes 248 and 145 meet, and then back into Walnutport.

He said the authority hopes to have a new plant in by the end of the year.

Kuntz said that while the current pump station is below ground, the new one would be above ground, which will make things safer and easier to work with.

Carlton Miller, manager, said Tuesday morning from inside the current plant that the equipment there is obsolete.

“There’s a safety issue going down in the hole,” Miller said. “Now the equipment is going to be built on top of the pad.”