Upgrades in Beaver, Lawrence will improve drinking water quality. What's being done

Garret Roberts, Beaver County Times

State legislators have announced some new funds intended for water quality upgrades soon will begin to flow into communities across western Pennsylvania.

Communities across the state are preparing to receive $274 million for projects funded through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to improve drinking water conditions, wastewater treatments, stormwater management and non-point source projects. Several projects in Beaver and Lawrence counties were funded through this process, which include improvements for a local farm's stormwater controls and funds to replace lead pipes in community water supplies.

"For more than 36 years, PENNVEST has been dedicated to the mission of providing resources for clean water across the Commonwealth," said PENNVEST Chairman Brian Regli. "In those three decades, we have seen communities grow, aging towns and cities revitalized, and farmers take a stronger approach to responsibly managing land. As a result, today we cross the threshold of $12 billion invested in clean water projects by PENNVEST. This monumental achievement is a testament to the hard work of so many and a continued promise by the Shapiro Administration to ensure the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.”

According to the released projects, plans included in the Beaver Valley include the following:

  • Drinking Water Projects

    • Wampum will receive a $2.4 million grant and a $1.1 million loan to replace existing distribution waterlines with lead joints primarily in the areas of Clyde, Kay, Main, and Beaver streets. The distribution line replacement includes 9,200 lineal feet of 6” iron waterline and 100 lineal feet of 12” steel casing with 6” iron waterline. Additionally, the existing water distribution system, dating back to 1905, has corroded and cracked cast iron pipes that need to be replaced. The project will reduce the risk of lead poisoning and lead levels in the community by eliminating lead components in the public water system. The removal of the existing cast iron corroded and cracked pipe will also improve water quality for the end user.

    • Wampum also received a $1.6 million grant to remove and replace lead service lines that have been in place since 1910 and 6” cast lead joints primarily in the areas of Clyde, Kay, Main and Beaver streets. Approximately 50 ¾” water service lines that contain lead joints will be replaced with new copper water lines, in addition to mainline repairs and restoration. The replacement of leaded service lines will eliminate the possibility of lead contamination to the public water system and prevent a threat to public health and safety.

  • Non-Point Source Projects

    • The Beaver County Conservation District will receive a $1.38 million grant to upgrade the Wright Brothers Dairy Farm’s nutrient management operations and stormwater controls. The project includes the construction of new facilities for feeding and resting areas, three manure facilities for the storage of solid and liquid manure, a gravel pad for storing silage bags, a cattle walkway and a grassed waterway. A new pump, electric line and waterline will be installed in an existing cistern to convey water to the new buildings. The project will result in an anticipated reduction of 2,473 pounds per year in nitrogen, 357 pounds per year in phosphorus, and 56,800 pounds per year in sediment that impacts an unnamed tributary of Brush Creek, which is designated as a warm water fishery and is listed as an impaired waterway.

According to state officials, funding for these projects originates from a combination of state funds approved by voters, Growing Greener funds, Marcellus Legacy funds, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act stimulus funds, the federal grant awards to PENNVEST from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments and the recycled loan repayments from previous PENNVEST funding awards.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Water improvement projects planned for Beaver, Lawrence

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