County to study nutrient trading program option

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Can a nutrient credit trading program offset costs of upgrades local sewage treatment facilities will need to make to comply with efforts to reduce pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay?

The Lycoming County commissioners hope to answer that question by the end of the year.

The commissioners are expected Thursday to approve three contracts associated with a study to determine the feasibility of a countywide nutrient credit trading program.

The contracts, which are with Brinjac Engineering of Harrisburg, Land Services of Harrisburg and Delta Development of Mechanicsburg, total $307,000.

If the companies determine a program can be developed, it will provide an alternative to "bricks and mortar improvements" at treatment facilities, said William Kelly, deputy director of the county Department of Planning and Community Development.

Treatment plants are facing tens of millions of dollars in upgrades in order to meet new standards regarding how much pollution from nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment can be allowed to flow into the river, he said. The study will focus mainly on nitrogen.

Some treatment plants may be able to reach a certain threshold of nutrient reduction with upgrades but may find total compliance unaffordable, Kelly said. That is where nutrient credit trading may be more cost effective than making more upgrades.

According to Kelly, a nutrient credit would be created by a farmer, landowner or any other entity that could implement a best management practice to significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen entering the watershed.

The credits would go into a "bank" and could be sold to treatment plants in lieu of attaining mandated nutrient pollution standards.

A credit might be created by a watershed group installing a section of riparian buffer or restoring a stream bank or a farmer converting from a till to a no-till planting practice, he said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection currently is working to define what constitutes a nutrient credit, Kelly said.

Kelly said the county "must review and scrub all of the elements of the program over the next several months to ensure we have a strong and viable program."

Regardless of whether or not a trading program can be implemented, the commissioners are committed to a countywide effort to meet nutrient reduction standards, Kelly said.

In other business, the commissioners are expected to approve a $174,000 contract with Wayne-based software company SunGard to cover engineering, software and programming costs associated with the installation of the county's new electronic financial system.

According to county grants administrator Mya Toon, the system may be used for purchasing, budgets, auditing, payroll, department expenditures and accounts payable.