The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority this week approved more than $100 million to clean up state waterways and improve wastewater and sewage facilities in 23 counties.

$32.6 million of the funds will be used to support the installation of nutrient-reduction technology in wastewater treatment plants. This technology removes nitrogen and phosphorus from treatment plant emissions, a critical step in improving water quality in many streams, as well as the Chesapeake Bay.

More than $51 million dollars will also be used for Combined Sewer Overflow and Sanitary Sewer Overflow. Combined Sewer Overflows combine sanitary and storm sewer drainage in common pipes and carries the total flow to sewage treatment plants. Sanitary Sewer Overflows, on the other hand, involve sanitary sewer systems with old pipes that are not water-tight, allowing storm water to enter the system and be carried to the treatment plant.

The PENNVEST Board also approved four drinking water projects for $3.2 million during the meeting. This brought the total funding for this meeting to $105.1 million, of which $54.3 million was in the form of low interest loans and $50.8 million was in grant funding.

Examples of project include:

· Cumberland/Franklin Counties: Shippensburg Borough Authority received a $2,373,500 loan and a $2,626,500 grant to install nutrient-reduction technology to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous discharges into the receiving stream;

· Fulton County: Hustontown Joint Sewage Authority received a $636,646 loan and a $704,509 grant to construct a new interceptor line and make modifications to the treatment plant to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous emissions into the receiving stream;

· Lancaster County: Salisbury Township received a $1,898,800 loan and a $2,101,200 grant to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant that serves Salisbury and Sadsbury townships with nutrient-reduction technology, which will reduce nitrogen and phosphorous emissions into the receiving stream;

· Luzerne County: Greater Hazelton – CANDO received a $2,943,140 loan and a $3,256,860 grant to upgrade and expand its sewage treatment plant with nutrient-reduction technology to eliminate the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorous into the receiving stream. The system serves 80 companies in the 5,000-employee Humboldt Industrial Park;

· Mountaintop Area Joint Sanitary Authority received a $2,472,238 loan and a $2,735,762 grant to convert the plant’s treatment process to tertiary level to improve the quality of the discharge and reduce nitrogen and phosphorous discharges into the receiving stream;

· Schuylkill County: Pine Grove Joint Treatment Authority received a $94,940 loan and a $105,060 grant to install nutrient-reduction technology and reduce nitrogen and phosphorous emissions for the authority’s treatment plant; and

· York County: Stewartstown Borough Authority received a $392,838 loan and a $434,712 grant to upgrade and expand the sewage treatment plant and improve the quality of the plant’s discharges, as well as reduce nitrogen and phosphorous emissions from the plant.

A complete list of projects is available online.

3/24/2006