Pennsylvania commits $288 million to water management projects, lead service line replacements

Pennsylvania is investing $288.2 million for drinking water, wastewater and non-point source water projects around the state. The funding, distributed in grants and loans, will support managing water authorities’ efforts to expand reliable service to residents, modernize and upgrade facilities and reduce the presence of legacy contaminants in water.  

The funding will be administered through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), which utilizes a combination of funds from state, Growing Greener, Marcellus Legacy, federal agencies and recycled loan repayments. 

This round of PENNVEST funding will advance a variety of water projects across 26 Pennsylvania counties. These include lead service line replacements, system modernizations, reliable service expansion and efforts to comply with current regulatory levels and agricultural best practices. 

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The highest-funded project, led by the City of Philadelphia, will utilize a $68.8 million loan to renovate facilities and systems at the East Park Booster Pumping Station. The state loan will primarily support the construction of a new pumping station and install system upgrades at the existing site. 

The proposed two-story, 11,350-square-foot pump station would include the installation and procurement of a variety of booster pumps, air release values, utility systems, electrical equipment, lighting improvements and stormwater management and wastewater service piping. 

As the station is vital to West and Central Philadelphia water distribution systems, the upgrades are anticipated to improve equipment reliability, worker safety and system resilience in the time of emergency. After modifying site piping and structures layouts, the city plans to decommission the existing facility and convert the space into office and storage facilities for the Philadelphia Water Department. 

PENNVEST will grant $16.2 million to support a pump station expansion initiative in Carbon County. Led by the Hazleton City Authority, the project looks to meet the anticipated additional daily water demand of local customers by upgrading and expanding the Dreck Creek pump station and pipelines. 

The project will integrate new tie-ins to the existing intake pipe in reservoir G, enhance electrical service and the emergency generator and install new pumps that can reach peak demand. Intending to maintain current operations, the authority will install bypass pumping to manage renovations to the existing facility. 

A drinking water project in Allegheny County, led by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, will receive a $13.1 million grant and a $12.9 million loan from PENNVEST in this round. The funding will support the replacement of lead service lines serving 3,500 homes in a variety of neighborhoods. 

The project seeks to eliminate approximately 580 public and 1,100 private lead service lines from local communities. Aligning with several federal commitments to replace legacy lead service lines, the project will enable the authority to more reliably treat, transport and distribute water for residents and consumers. 

Some of the other highest-funded projects include: 

• Emmaus Borough, Lehigh County – $9.7 million grant and $2 million loan for PFA remediation projects at wells 1 and 2 in Emmaus Borough. The project will construct a new building at the existing waterworks treatment facility and upgrade equipment to improve water quality. 

• Borough of Jackson Center, Mercer County – $9.5 million grant to replace the existing wastewater treatment plant in Jackson Township. The project, located along Bradley Road, will construct a new facility and modernize operations to meet current and future processing demands. 

• Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority, Bucks County – $9.4 million loan for a cured-in-place pipelining project to resolve inflow and infiltration issues and to reduce wet weather peak flows in Ironworks Creek, Mill Creek, Pine Run Creek, and Neshaminy Creek. 

• Schuylkill County Municipal Authority, Schuylkill County – $8.2 million grant and $230,757 loan for system upgrades on well 2 of the Morea Well Treatment Facility. The project will construct a new treatment facility to include iron and manganese treatment, chemical application, and disinfection contact time. 

• Aqua Pennsylvania Inc., Montgomery County – $7.8 million grant and $1.6 million loan to decrease the amount of PFAs and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOs) in Lohmiller, Twin Ponds and Hunters Run wells. 

• Aqua Pennsylvania Inc., Chester County – $7.7 million grant and $1.6 million loan for PFA remediation projects at the Stonehenge and Saybrooke Wells in Upper Uwchlan Township and the Robert Dean Wells in West Whiteland Township. 

Photo courtesy JJonahJackalope, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons