Keaton PetersPennsylvania is continuing to turn on the tap for clean water projects, following a $1 billion wave of investment over the past year. The Commonwealth recently announced a major investment of $242.8 million to upgrade drinking water and wastewater systems across the state. The funding will support 32 projects spanning 23 counties, with a focus on replacing lead service lines, rehabilitating aging systems and reducing environmental contaminants.
This announcement marks a significant milestone for the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), which has now surpassed $1 billion in clean water infrastructure approvals within a single fiscal year for the first time in the organization’s history. Since its inception, PENNVEST has approved more than $12.8 billion in clean water infrastructure projects.
The funding is sourced from a combination of state funds approved by voters, federal grants from the EPA under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act and recycled loan repayments from previous PENNVEST awards.
Water systems across America are getting old, leaky and need updates to protect against health threats from contaminants like PFAS and lead service lines. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is no different. Many of Pennsylvania’s water systems were built decades ago and struggle with leaks, breaks and water quality issues that threaten both public health and system reliability. The state-led investments are a crucial step in ensuring local communities are not left to fix the problem entirely on their own.
The largest investments are flowing to drinking water projects in North Fayette County and Greater Johnstown, which received loans of $22.3 million and $22.1 million respectively. The North Fayette County Municipal Authority will use the funds to improve its water filtration plant that serves 23 municipalities, while the Greater Johnstown Water Authority will make critical modifications to its North Fork Reservoir, which had been deemed a high hazard dam.
The funding also addresses emerging water quality concerns, with $9.8 million allocated to Erie City Water Authority for replacing approximately 1,250 customer-side lead service lines, and multiple grants to Aqua Pennsylvania for PFAS remediation at several water treatment facilities.
In Bucks County, the Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority received a substantial grant and loan package totaling nearly $20 million to remediate PFAS contamination linked to the former Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster. The project will connect 334 private properties to the public water system, protecting residents from exposure to these harmful forever chemicals.
On the wastewater side, the Somerset Borough Municipal Authority secured $18.7 million to upgrade sanitary sewer and stormwater systems, including the replacement or rehabilitation of approximately 41,650 feet of sanitary sewer piping and 195 manholes. The improvements are expected to reduce infiltration and inflow by 20-40%, decreasing the probability of sewer overflows.
Several projects also focus on modernizing treatment processes. The Minersville Sewer Authority will install a new ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system, replacing outdated chlorine treatment methods. This upgrade will eliminate health hazards for operators who currently handle dangerous chlorine while reducing operational costs.
In Erie County, the replacement of lead service lines is expected to result in lower water rates for consumers due to reduced leakage, in addition to public health benefits. Similarly, in Lancaster County, the East Cocalico Township Authority will bring its largest water source back online after being out of service for 18 months, potentially allowing for expanded service to adjacent water systems.
Photo Courtesy
Derek Harper via Wikimedia Commons
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
