About Us

On December 15, 1953, the Borough of Hatboro Council and Upper Moreland Township Commissioners created the Upper Moreland-Hatboro Joint Sewer Authority (UMHJSA) to own, construct, and maintain the sanitary sewerage system. The UMHJSA acts under the provisions of the Municipalities Authorities Act of 1945, approved May 2, 1945, P.L. 382, as amended and supplemented, of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pursuant to the ordinances of the Borough of Hatboro Council and the Commissioners of Upper Moreland Township. Prior to 1953 the Borough of Hatboro and the Upper Moreland Township shared the operations of the Terwood Road wastewater treatment plant.

The UMHJSA not only services the Borough of Hatboro and Upper Moreland Township, but other Municipalities including the eastern tip of Horsham Township, the northern tip of Upper Dublin Township, the southern tip of Warminster Township and the Masons Mill Business Park in Bryn Athyn Borough. The UMHJSA owns and operates the sewage collection systems associated with the Borough of Hatboro and Upper Moreland Township, and its service areas in Upper Dublin and Warminster Townships. Collection systems in Bryn Athyn Borough and Horsham Township are owned and operated by the Masons Mill Business Park and the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority respectively. Sewage is conveyed from Bryn Athyn Borough and Horsham Township to UMHJSA for treatment under terms of inter-authority agreements. The Abington Township wastewater treatment plant receives a portion of sewage flows from Upper Moreland Township.

The UMHJSA wastewater treatment plant is composed of two parts. The main plant is rated at 6.416 million gallons per day (MGD), and the auxiliary plant (originally 0.6 MGD) is rated at 0.773 MGD. The main plant was constructed in 1954, expanded in 1974, and upgraded in 1989 to single stage nitrification and 6.416 MGD, respectively. The auxiliary plant was originally built in 1931 and had a capacity of 0.6 MGD. This plant was taken out of service in 1974 due to its age. In 1985 the original plant was refurbished as a 0.6 MGD auxiliary plant. The auxiliary plant was rerated to 0.773 MGD in 2000. The two plants together provide the current permitted capacity of 7.189 MGD. We presently serve an equivalent population of approximately 48,500 persons.

UMHJSA operates approximately 125 miles of sewer lines within the collection and interceptor system. Additional flow into the system is contributed via sewer that are owned and operated by the contributing municipalities. There are over 10,000 customers in the service area. Every year UMHJSA performs preventative maintenance on the system (e.g., televising sewer lines to locate potential leaks, repairing sewer lines) to reduce infiltration and inflow (unwanted surface and ground water that enters the sewer system).

The dedicated staff works diligently to maintain the excellent treatment of the wastewater. Recent plant upgrades (e.g., emergency generator, upgraded disinfection units, enhanced influent screening, effluent pump station to allow us to discharge into the Pennypack Creek during flooding conditions, influent bypass pumping station) have improved our ability to maintain the excellent record of environmental compliance. The plant has operated without an effluent discharge permit violation since 2006, when severe flooding in Upper Moreland resulted in excessive flows to the plant and dangerous conditions within the plant due to flood waters.

Board Members and Staff


Chairman: Alex Kalnajs
Vice-Chairman: Hank Sokolowski
Secretary: Bill Tompkins
Treasurer: George Hartman
Assistant Secretary: Suzanne Dougherty
Assistant Treasurer: Dave Kistner
General Manager - Eric C. Lindhult, P.E.
Office Manager - Kathy Duffy
Plant Superintendent - David W. Thomas


Board Members

Board of Directors, Left: David Kistner, George Hartman, Alex Kalnajs,
Right: Suzanne Dougherty, Bill Tompkins, and Hank Sokolowski