Gov. Tom Corbett Tuesday announced the investment of $82 million in seven drinking water and wastewater projects in five counties through the PA Infrastructure Investment Authority.

“While there may be fewer than the usual number of projects approved at today’s PennVEST Board of Directors’ meeting, they nonetheless represent a significant investment on the part of the commonwealth in our clean water infrastructure,” Corbett said. “These projects will not only protect public health but will also stimulate millions of dollars in new private investment and job creation, all of which are so important to my administration and the citizens of Pennsylvania.”

Of the $82 million total awards, $69 million is for low-interest loans and $13 million is offered as grants.

The awards range from a $997,800 loan to eliminate wet weather discharges of inadequately treated waste into the Ohio River in Allegheny County, to a $28.5 million loan/grant combination to construct a new regional wastewater treatment plant to eliminate discharges of inadequately treated waste into publicly accessible areas of Lycoming County.

The funding comes from a combination of state funds approved by voters, federal grants to PennVEST from the Environmental Protection Agency and recycled loan repayments from previous PennVEST funding awards. Funds for the projects are disbursed after bills for work are paid and receipts are submitted to PennVEST.

The projects include--

-- Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Allegheny County, received a $2,890,000 loan to eliminate breaks in the water distribution system and eliminate service outages by replacing approximately seventy five gate valves at various locations in the distribution system.  Twenty fire hydrants will also be installed to improve fire protection.

-- Altoona Water Authority, Blair County, received a $6,631,965 loan to install 23,000 meter interface units throughout the authority’s water distribution system in order to improve water usage monitoring and significantly reduce associated staff time and costs.

-- Huntington Borough, Huntingdon County, received a $12,275,475 loan and a $2,779,525 grant to make a wide variety of improvements to the borough’s drinking water treatment plant and water storage tank in order eliminate performance problems that threaten public health.  The project will also stimulate the investment of more than $3 million as well as the creation of five new jobs within the next three years.

-- Neville Township, Allegheny County,  received a $997,800 loan to upgrade two pump stations in order to eliminate wet weather discharges of inadequately treated waste into the Ohio River.

-- Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority received a $4,145,000 loan to make improvements to the authority’s wastewater collection system in order to eliminate wet weather discharges of untreated sewage into the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers.

-- West Branch Regional Authority, Lycoming County, received a $22,969,626 loan and a $5,491,723 grant to construct a new 2.4 million gallons per day regional sewage treatment plant that will replace two outdated and malfunctioning plants that are overloaded during wet weather events, causing them to discharge untreated and inadequately treated sewage into publicly accessible areas.  The authority will also construct two new pump stations and install about five and a half miles of new force mains.

-- Warren City received a $19,491,723 loan and a $4,508,277 grant to expand its treatment plant capacity, upgrade two pump stations and install new force main in order to eliminate backups of raw sewage into residential basements as well as discharges of raw and inadequately sewage into publicly accessible areas and the Allegheny River.

NewsClip: Pittsburgh Sewage Authority Receives $7M State Loan

1/28/2013