On July 17, the PA Infrastructure Investment Authority approved the investment of $136 million for 17 drinking water, wastewater, storm water, and non-point source projects across 17 counties.

“The approvals for these water quality infrastructure projects are an important component of our support for clean water in Pennsylvania,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “The funding provided by PennVEST delivers the financial backing necessary for communities to make improvements that ensure potable drinking water, adequate wastewater treatment, and stormwater management facilities improve our quality of life and strengthen our communities.”

The funding for these projects originates from a combination of state funds approved by voters, Growing Greener, Marcellus Legacy funds, federal grants to PennVEST from the Environmental Protection Agency and recycled loan repayments from previous PennVEST funding awards.

Funds for these projects are disbursed after expenses for work are paid and receipts are submitted to PennVEST for review.

A list of project summaries follows:

Drinking Water Projects

-- Centre County: State College Borough Water Authority* – received a $24,950,000 loan to construct a new membrane filter water treatment plant and upgrade appurtenances in the Nixon and Kocher wells. The project will provide backup treatment facilities and ensure a continued reliable supply of potable water.

-- Erie County: Corry Municipal Authority*- received a $6,590,000 loan to construct new treatment facilities, a finished water reservoir, booster pump stations, and standby generators. The project will address structural and safety issues with the existing facilities and increase system reliability.

-- Franklin County: Waynesboro Borough Authority*- received a $5,743,200 loan to upgrade their existing treatment facilities, replacing equipment at the end of its useful life in order to ensure a continued supply of reliable potable water. This project also supports a commercial opportunity in the Wharf Road Park resulting in the preservation of 136 existing and 36 new manufacturing jobs.

-- Jefferson County: Eldred Township Municipal Authority – received a $2,406,096 loan and a grant of $2,188,027 to extend water service to areas beyond the Village of Sigel, addressing water quality and quantity issues with private wells.

-- McKean County: Bradford City Water Authority*- received an $11,520,000 loan to construct a second water transmission main between the water filtration plant and the finished water reservoir. The project will ensure continued reliable service to the system and provide necessary redundancy allowing for maintenance.

-- Westmoreland County: Latrobe Municipal Authority – received a $2,691,060 loan to replace 7,000 feet of water line, gate valves and associated reconnections to the new waterline. The project will address water loss issues estimated at 40 percent and increase reliability to ensure water service in the area.

Wastewater Projects

-- Cambria County: Forest Hills Municipal Authority**- received a $4,467,500 loan to extend 23,000 feet of gravity sewers, 1,900 feet of force main, manholes, a pump station and associated appurtenances to provide service to the Luther/Salix Airport area of Adams Township. The project will address issues in an area with an on-lot malfunction rate of 83 percent, eliminating impacts on local streams and drinking water wells.

-- Fayette County: Connellsville Municipal Authority** – received a $14,978,870 loan and a grant of $4,116,385 to construct an expansion of their wastewater treatment facilities, add a pump station, upgrade an existing pump station and install new force mains and interceptors. The project will address wet weather overflows and combined sewer overflows into the Youghiogheny River.

-- Lawrence County: New Castle Sanitation Authority** – received a $23,437,982 loan and an $8,562,018 grant to construct a new headworks facility that includes two mechanical bar screens, two vortex grit chambers, yard piping and other wet weather facilities. The project is the first phase of necessary improvements to facilities to ensure compliance with the effluent discharges into the Mahoning River. The project will reduce wet weather overflows and help satisfy the Consent Order and Agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection.

-- Mercer County: Jamestown Municipal Authority – received a $918,850 loan and a $1,243,150 grant to replace 500 feet of gravity sewers and 1,035 feet of force main, and upgrade the treatment facilities and the Liberty Street pump station. The project will replace facilities that are at the end of their useful life and ensure adequate treatment of effluent before it’s discharged into the Shenango River.

-- Northumberland County: Upper Augusta Township** – received a $1,492,019 loan and a $1,697,027 grant for a sanitary sewer replacement project to convey domestic wastewater from the Village of Mount Pleasant to the Sunbury Municipal Authority’s facilities for treatment. The project will eliminate a treatment plant unable to meet discharge limits into a tributary to the Susquehanna River.

-- Tioga County: Westfield Borough** – received a $2,908,555 loan and a $3,935,104 grant to replace their existing overloaded treatment facility. The project includes a new influent pump station, a mechanically cleaned influent screen, a bypass bar screen, an aerated grit removal system, an oxidation ditch, two secondary clarifiers, two sludge digestion tanks, a chemical feed system, and a new chlorine disinfection system. The project will address discharge violations and ensure adequate treatment of effluent into the Cowanesque River.

-- Union County: Pine Valley Associates, LP – received a $550,000 loan to construct a new extended air treatment plant with a 10,000-gallon equalization tank and a 5,000-gallon sludge holding tank. This project will replace worn out facilities and ensure continued treatment of wastewater before it’s discharged into the North Branch Buffalo Creek.

-- York County: Shrewsbury Borough – received a $1,000,000 loan to pay for their prorated share of necessary construction improvements to the New Freedom Borough treatment facilities. The improvements to the regional treatment plant are necessary to ensure continued service and adequate treatment.

Stormwater Projects

-- Delaware County: Chester City Stormwater Authority** – received a $9,980,156 loan to install approximately 9,500 feet of pipe, 65 catch basins, 200 manholes, and associated stormwater roadway restoration. Water quality devices such as porous panels, inlet inserts, and filters will be installed to remove trash and sediment from the system and to remove pollutants.

-- Schuylkill County: Auburn Borough – received a $350,000 loan to construct 1,190 feet of storm sewers and 11 storm sewer inlets to redirect flows away from the existing rock channel to connect to the existing stormwater system. This will eliminate the flooding impacts that have structurally undermined buildings in the borough.

Non-point Source Water Quality Improvement Projects

-- Lycoming County: Old Lycoming Township – received a $384,465 loan to purchase a vacuum street sweeper equipped to better clean the sediment and debris from impervious surfaces in accordance with the sediment reduction goals included in three area townships’ Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permits, and prevent pollutants from reaching the waterways. The project is expected to eliminate over 100,000 pounds of sediment in the first permit cycle.

* denotes projects that have Drinking Water State Revolving Funds

** denotes projects that are funded with Clean Water State Revolving Funds

For more information on water infrastructure funding opportunities, visit the PA Infrastructure Investment Authority website or call 717-783-6798.

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[Posted: July 17, 2019]

7/22/2019