GREENE – Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) announced today that the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority (SPWA) will receive nearly $2 million from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) in the form of a low-interest loan and a grant to extend a water line for customers currently served by Brave Water and Sewer Authority (BWSA) in Wayne Township, Greene County.
The funding will extend the water line approximately 23,000 feet. Additionally, valves, fittings, fire hydrants and service connections will be installed. When the project is completed, BWSA will no longer be a regulated water supplier and SPWA will own, operate and maintain the water system.
“Infrastructure improvements like this one are typically quite costly. On top of that, the median household income level of affected customers is below the state average,” Bartolotta said. “The PENNVEST funding will help to offset the cost of moving to a larger, more capable water system and addressing leaking service lines so customers have access to safe and clean water.”
Currently, BWSA purchases all water from a water system across the state line in West Virginia, which is also a purchaser of water from another water system even farther away. Because of the time it takes for water to reach BWSA’s system, it has exceeded the maximum contaminant level of disinfection byproducts on multiple occasions. Removal of disinfection byproducts is very difficult without considerable expense for a small rural water system.
The grant, which does not need to be repaid, totals $894,697. The low-interest loan of more than $1 million, which will be repaid over 30 years, will provide the grant equivalent of $514,539 during the life of the loan.
PENNVEST approved the funding at its board meeting today. The state’s PENNVEST Program provides low-interest loans and grants for the design, engineering and construction of drinking water distribution facilities, stormwater conveyance and wastewater treatment and collection systems.
CONTACT: Katrina Hanna, 717-787-1463