Facilities
The Lackawanna River Sewer Authority (LRBSA) was incorporated in 1969 to provide wastewater conveyance and treatment services for communities along the Lackawanna Valley. Wastewater is conveyed to the Authority’s three (3) Sewage Treatment Plants by approximately twenty-one (21) miles of interceptor lines generally located along the Lackawanna River. In addition to these facilities, the LRBSA also operates nine (9) wastewater pumping stations and maintains over fifty (50) miles of collection lines. The municipalities that the LRBSA serve also have collection systems that they operate and maintain and which connect to the LRBSA’s interceptors. Portions of these municipal sewer collection systems are of the Combined Sewer type meaning they collect storm water runoff as well as sanitary sewage generated by homes and businesses. These combined sewers existed prior to the inception of the Sewer Authority.
The wastewater treatment plant located in Clinton Township, Wayne County uses the extended aeration activated sludge process. It consists of a vortex grit chamber, grit classifier, mechanical bar screen, two (2) raw sewage lift pumps, four (4) aeration tanks, two (2) secondary clarifiers, two (2) chlorine contact tanks and an aerated sludge holding tank. The permitted treatment capacity of the Clinton treatment plant is 0.7 MGD. The Clinton Township plant provides treatment for the following communities:
- Forest City Borough
- Vandling Borough
- Village of Browndale (Clinton Township)
- Village of Richmondale (Fell Township)
The Archbald wastewater treatment facility is an activated sludge plant utilizing the Sequencing Batch Reactor process. The treatment system consists of two (2) mechanical bar screens, two (2) vortex grit chamber, two (2) grit classifiers, two (2) raw sewage lift pumps, eight (8) sequencing batch reactors, one (1) ultra-violet disinfection channel, one (1) sludge thickener with polymer coagulation, two (2) aerobic digesters and one (1) belt filter press. The permitted capacity of the Archbald treatment plant is 6.0 MGD. The Archbald facility serves the following communities:
- Carbondale City
- Carbondale Township
- Fell Township
- Jermyn Borough
- Mayfield Borough
- Scott Township
- Portion of Archbald Borough
The Throop wastewater treatment plant is of the conventional activated sludge type in a 4-stage Bardenpho process configuration for biological nutrient removal. The plant consists of three (3) mechanical bar screens, two (2) vortex grit chambers, two (2) grit classifiers, four (4) raw sewage lift pumps, four (4) anoxic tanks, four (4) aeration tanks, four (4) anoxic/oxic swing tanks, four (4) secondary clarifiers, two (2) chlorine contact tanks and individual chemical feed systems for secondary clarifier polymer, magnesium hydroxide, ferric chloride, supplemental carbon, sodium hypochlorite and sodium bisulfite. Solids handling processes consist of one (1) gravity belt thickener with polymer coagulation, two (2) anaerobic digesters and one (1) belt filter press. The plant's permitted capacity is 10.0 MGD and serves the following areas:
- Archbald Borough
- Blakely Borough
- Dickson City Borough
- Jefferson Township
- Jessup Borough
- Olyphant Borough
- Throop Borough
The LRBSA’s administrative offices are located at the Throop Plant.
In addition to the above treatment plants, the LRBSA previously operated a fourth facility located in and serving the Borough of Moosic. This facility was closed in 2001 and its flow diverted to the neighboring Lower Lackawanna Valley Sanitary Authority for treatment. The LRBSA continues to operate the interceptor system and two (2) pumping stations in the former Moosic plant’s service area.
