Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday announced the investment of $81.9 million for 16 drinking water, wastewater and nonpoint source projects across 12 counties through the PA Infrastructure Investment Authority.

“At today’s meeting of PennVEST’s Board of Directors, the agency passed the $8 billion mark in clean water financing assistance that it has provided to communities all across the Commonwealth since the agency’s inception in 1988. I am pleased to be on hand for the achievement of this remarkable milestone”, said Gov. Wolf. ”Our continued commitment to this effort will, I am sure, see us build on this legacy and further my and my administration’s commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment for today’s Pennsylvanians and for future generations as well”.

Of the $81.9 million, $60.7 million is allocated for low-interest loans and $21.2 million is awarded through grants.

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.

A list of projects funded includes--

Nonpoint Source Water Quality Improvement Projects

-- Chester County: Chester County Conservation District and Jacob Fisher received a $974,323 grant to construct manure storage facilities and make other manure management improvements in order to reduce nutrient runoff during wet weather.

-- Clarion County: Armstrong Conservation District received a $374,973 loan and a $374,973 grant to undertake a variety of best management practices to reduce the acid mine run-off and sediment currently contaminating a tributary of the Allegheny River, including installation infiltration trenches and vegetated swales, restoration of riparian buffers and reforestation along trails, as well as the removal of coal mine refuse.

-- Delaware County: Chester City Stormwater Authority received a $1 million grant to design various forms of green infrastructure that will be installed throughout the City to improve the quality of stormwater runoff by reducing the volume of heavy metals and nutrients contaminating Ridley Creek, Chester Creek and the Delaware River.

Drinking Water Projects

-- Erie County: Edinboro Water Authority received a $7 million loan to construct a new drinking water treatment plant and a new water storage tank, replace more than a mile of deteriorated water distribution lines and make other system improvements in order to provide a safe and reliable source of drinking water to its customers.

-- Luzerne County: Hazelton City Authority received a $2.5 million loan to make a variety of upgrades to its water treatment and storage systems in order to ensure the continued reliable provision of safe, high quality drinking water to its customers.

-- Montgomery County: Horsham Water and Sewer Authority received a $10 million grant in order to provide treatment systems for five existing drinking water wells as well as install new water distribution lines and interconnections to residents of Horsham whose private wells are subject to contamination by chemical run-off from a nearby military base.

Wastewater Projects

-- Cambria County: Lorain Borough received a $3,560,495 loan and a $2,689,705 grant to reduce the amount of water inflow into its sewage collection system and associated wet weather discharges into Stonycreek River by making various repairs to the system, which includes lateral connections to within five feet of homes and other structures served by the system.

-- Columbia County: Berwick Area Joint Sewer Authority received a $2,909,917 loan to construct approximately two miles of storm water collection lines in order to reduce the infiltration and inflow of water into its sanitary sewer system during wet weather that results in discharges of untreated sewage into the North Branch of the Susquehanna River.

-- Orange Township received a $487,728 loan to acquire the existing wastewater treatment plant and collection system that currently serves the township and to also make a variety of improvements to the plant that has been poorly maintained in the past, which has resulted in sewage discharges into a tributary of Fishing Creek.

-- Erie County: Greene Township received a $6,540,457 loan and a $3,245,543 grant to construct approximately ten miles of new sewage collection lines, a pump station and other facilities needed to provide wastewater collection service to areas of the township where malfunctioning on-lot septic systems are contaminating local drinking water wells and leaching untreated sewage into surface waters.

-- Lawrence County: New Castle Sanitation Authority received an $11 million loan to construct almost forty two miles of sewage collection lines and to new lift stations, as well as make other system improvements, to eliminate discharges of untreated or partially treated sewage into publicly accessible areas from malfunctioning on-lot septic systems.

-- McKean County: Norwich Township received a $2,013,464 loan and a $736,536 grant to install a new pump station, more than eight miles of sewage collection lines and make other improvements to its sewage treatment facilities in order to provide service to areas where malfunctioning on-lot septic systems currently discharge untreated or partially treated sewage into local drinking water wells, publicly accessible areas and both Potato and Allegheny Portage Creeks.

-- Venango County: Clintonville Borough Sewer and Water Authority received a $1,352,967 loan and a $1,031,115 grant to rehabilitate three and a half miles of sewage collection lines and to make other improvements to its sewage collection and treatment facilities that will eliminate wet weather discharges of partially treated sewage into Scrubgrass Creek.

-- Westmoreland County: Lower Burrell City Municipal Authority received a $3,010,000 loan to make repairs that will eliminate infiltration into almost seven miles of its sewage collection lines as well as make other improvements to its sewage collection system that will eliminate wet weather discharges of sewage into Pucketa Creek.

-- Sewickley Township Municipal Sewage Authority received a $2,661,222 loan and a $1,182,032 grant to construct a new sewage treatment plant, a new pump station and approximately three miles of new sewage collection lines in order to extend service to homes in the Village of Hutchinson where malfunctioning on-lot septic systems and wildcat sewers currently discharge sewage into Sewickley Creek.

-- Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority received a $17,323,250 loan to construct almost four miles of new sewage collection lines and make other improvements to its sewage collection system that will eliminate sewage overflows into Brush Creek that now occur in wet weather. This project will affect more than thirteen thousand customers in the authority’s system.

For more information on funding opportunities, visit the PennVEST website.

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[Posted: Jan. 25, 2017]

1/30/2017