FALL 2024
is a great Time to Visit the Watershed...
Read more in our "News" section
Welcome to the Bethlehem Authority
The Bethlehem Authority is a political corporate body, incorporated in 1938 pursuant to an ordinance enacted by the City Council of the City of Bethlehem (City), and now exists pursuant to the Act. The Authority was the first municipal authority incorporated in Pennsylvania following the enactment of the PA Municipal Authority’s Act of 1935.
The governing body of the Authority is a Board consisting of five members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The terms of the members of the Board are staggered so that the term of one member expires each year, and the City Council, in accordance with the Act, appoints successors each year. Members of the Board may be reappointed. None of the members of the Board is a member of City Council of the City.
The Authority owns the Water System and leases it to the City in accordance with the terms of the Lease. The City provides for water treatment, rate setting, payment collection, metering, pipeline repairs and all other operation and maintenance of the system. Please click here to be taken to the City’s Water and Sewer Resources Department Web Page for more information. The Authority employs a full time Executive Director to manage its operations and administrative functions, and maintains an office in City Hall and a staff for such purposes. It also employs a Full Time Police Officer and four Part Time Patrol Officers for its watershed properties and maintains an office near the Wild Creek Reservoir in Carbon County for this purpose.
The Authority is considered the financial arm of the City’s water system, and as such maintains the debt of the water system and provides the funding for the system’s capital improvements. The Authority also acts as the property manager for the 22,000 plus acre watersheds in Carbon and Monroe Counties.
In 2023, Authority staff, under the direction of the Authority Board's HR and Governance Committee, developed a Governance Manual that includes links to most of the relevant governance documents that current and future Board members and Authority staff can use and reference prior to and during their terms on the Board or as employees of the Authority.
During this process a Mission Statement was developed that guides the Authority Board and Staff in its activities on a day-to-day basis as well as planning for the future.
The Mission Statement can be found at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1er0YhsLrwdJZATV5uCog8EyLZ3HbKu8H/view?usp=sharing
10 East Church Street, Room B-311, Bethlehem, PA 18018, USA
610.865.7090
610.865.2009
For water emergencies, please call 610.865.7077 billing or water quality, please call 610.865.7070
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