The Wolf administration on Monday announced funding — through grants and loans — for 25 drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects in 19 Pennsylvania counties.
The $97 million in funding would come from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) and invest in lead-free water infrastructure, according to a statement.
PENNVEST also utilized resources available under the U.S. Water Infrastructure Fund Transfer Act, which was signed into law in 2019. It allows for a transfer of funding to specifically address lead line replacements, the administration’s statement said.
Here are some of the projects planned for southwestern Pennsylvania:
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DRINKING WATER
Allegheny County
Coraopolis Water and Sewer Authority: received a $1,117,000 grant to replace approximately 2,200 feet of leaded-joint distribution pipe and associated valves. The project will eliminate potential health concerns by removing lead from distribution lines for 2,309 residential customers.
Armstrong County
Ford City Borough: received a $1,679,524 grant to replace approximately 2,650 feet of water main with lead joints along 5th Avenue, between 14th and 17th Streets. The project will eliminate the risk of user lead exposure and improve the water supply for an area that experiences frequent leakage throughout the current distribution system.
Cambria County
Hastings Municipal Authority: received a $2,054,884 grant to replace approximately 6,200 feet of cast iron water pipe with leaded joints and associated equipment along 3rd Avenue and Spangler Street. This project will remove lead from distribution lines in a system that serves 654 residential customers and address aging water lines prone to leaks, to create a more reliable water supply.
Indiana County
Borough of Glen Campbell: received a $187,384 loan and a $923,616 grant to replace a water storage tank and equipment at an existing water treatment plant. The project will address exceedance levels of barium and other contaminants as well as system distribution lines, which have been susceptible to recurring leakage, to improve and conserve the water supply.
Mercer County
The Municipal Authority of the Borough of Greenville: received a $4,059,160 grant to replace 9,600 feet of water main along ten individual streets and replace 130 known or suspected lead service lines in the distribution system. The project will address leakage and lead contamination through the removal of aging infrastructure to provide better quality, more reliable drinking water.
Westmoreland County
Ligonier Township Municipal Authority: received a $5,525,000 loan to install a 250,000-gallon water tank and five pressure boosting stations and replace approximately 21,000 feet of water line and an access bridge to a water treatment plant. The project will significantly reduce water loss due to leakage and improve water pressure to customer taps.
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WASTEWATER
Allegheny County
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority: received a $23,970,000 loan to line or repair approximately 22 miles of sewer collection line in the Homewood, Squirrel Hill, Marshall-Shadeland, Spring Garden, Highland Park, and Carrick. The project will aid in the elimination of sewage overflows and reduce infiltration into the collection lines.
“This funding will jump-start critical work that is needed to strengthen the sewer system and provide PWSA ratepayers with safer, more reliable wastewater services,” the city said in a release.
Will Pickering, PWSA’s chief executive officer, said: “The intense and frequent storms we’ve experienced this summer have elevated the need to rehabilitate aging sewer lines throughout Pittsburgh. This infusion of state funding will save ratepayers approximately $16 million in comparison to traditional municipal financing."
Mercer County
Perry Township: received a $37,997 loan and a $1,168,103 grant to install 4,800 feet of low-pressure sewer mains, a duplex grinder pump station and equipment, and a Community Onlot Disposal System. The project will resolve compliance issues with the current malfunctioning onlot systems, which have a confirmed 87 percent failure rate, and will eliminate untreated sewage discharges through the use of a low-pressure sewer collection system.
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ADVANCED FUNDING WASTEWATER PROJECTS
Mercer County
Borough of Jackson Center: received a $468,900 loan to address the design of a replacement wastewater treatment plant. The project will meet permit limits and comply with approved Act 537 Sewage Facility Planning schedules, as a new wastewater treatment plant will improve the quality of discharges into the Yellow Creek.
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STORMWATER
Allegheny County
Bethel Park: received a $1,052,679 loan to construct a 900-foot swale to intercept surface runoff and install 1,250 feet of storm sewer pipe. The project will reduce flooding occurrences in residential areas and improve water quality of receiving streams by removing sediment.
First Published: July 26, 2021, 3:28 p.m.