Lehighton will try again after estimates for its storm sewer rehabilitation project came in higher than anticipated.

Borough council on a 5-0 vote Monday agreed to reject the bids that were received for its inflow and infiltration project.

Afterward, council then agreed to rebid the project at the recommendation of borough engineer Vanessa Nedrick.

Nedrick said that the unit prices have gone up significantly, and recommended that the bids be rejected.

The borough has $915,000 in guaranteed funding; however, $851,000 was the estimate for just drainage area No. 3, while drainage area No. 6 is just over $1 million. Drainage area No. 6 is worse.

From a cost estimate, the borough can only afford drainage area No. 3 at this point.

However, Councilman Ryan Saunders said he would prefer to utilize the money toward the area that is worse rather than base it on the cost.

“I just want to make sure we’re doing the most with the money we have, rather than just pick one because we can afford it,” Saunders said.

Nedrick said the borough could likely open the bids for the project on June 27, and then have it prepared for council’s July 1 meeting.

In the meantime, DeWire told council it should plan for drainage area No. 6.

The Lehighton Inflow and infiltration Abatement Project consists of the cleaning, televising, and cured in place pipelining of approximately 6 miles of sanitary sewers in the borough.

Work will also include the inspection and rehabilitation of manholes.

For more information, email vanessa.nedrick@rve.com with any questions.

The borough received an additional $500,000 to address its inflow and infiltration matters concerning its sanitary sewer system.

DeWire said the $500,000 is directly through state Sen. Bob Casey’s fiscal year 2024 community project funding.

DeWire said that will give the borough $1.6 million in funding to rehabilitate the system.

Nedrick said that engineering for the project is covered by the grant.

DeWire said the plan is to attack the problem from all sides.

In February, Councilman Steven Hawk said that he, along with Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky and DeWire met with the Central Carbon Municipal Authority concerning the borough’s Inflow & Infiltration issues.

Hawk said that a lot of the infiltration coming into the plant is from the borough, which is a major concern.

Nedrick said there’s a lot of terra-cotta in the system, and two areas in the borough, zone 3 and zone 6, which provide 80% of the I & I the borough has.

She said if the borough were to take care of those two zones, it would be taking care of 80% of it.

DeWire said addressing the situation could potentially save the borough thousands of dollars per month if it addresses the worst parts of the system.

Nedrick announced at January’s borough council meeting that the borough received the H20 Pennsylvania Water Supply, Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Projects grant for $611,245.

Nedrick told council the grant can be used for inflow and infiltration abatement throughout the borough.

She believes the borough has three years to spend the grant.

Nedrick said in March 2023 two drainage areas in the older portions downtown have about 80% flow infiltration. She said there was a 50% grant match.

The match portion was from the borough’s ARPA funds.