Pennsylvania's Infrastructure Investment Authority, known as PENNVEST, has approved 306.4 million dollars in funding for 29 drinking water and wastewater projects spread across 23 counties in the Commonwealth. The investment package is part of an ongoing effort to replace lead service lines, upgrade treatment capacity and tackle emerging contaminants such as PFAS in public water systems.
Governor Josh Shapiro said the funding addresses lead and PFAS contamination in public water systems. Robert Boos, PENNVEST's executive director, noted that the authority's low interest financing is available for projects of varying scale, from small repairs to new treatment plant construction.
Since January 2023, PENNVEST has provided more than 3.7 billion dollars in water infrastructure funding, including the replacement of over 40,000 lead service lines across 63 counties. The programme is financed through state funds approved by voters, the Growing Greener and Marcellus Legacy funds, the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, EPA grants under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and repayments from earlier PENNVEST loans.
Among the 29 projects, four stand out for their scale and scope:
- Aqua Pennsylvania will use a grant and loan package worth over 60 million dollars for PFAS removal and treatment facility at the Neshaminy water treatment plant in Bucks County, including granular activated carbon filtration housed in twelve treatment trains and a new clearwell.
- The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will receive a grant and loan package worth over 33 million dollars to replace more than 1,700 public and private lead service lines across thirteen city neighbourhoods, affecting some 3,274 homes.
- The Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority will invest a 34 million dollar loan to shift its wastewater treatment plant from chlorine gas disinfection to an ultraviolet light system, improving both operational safety and environmental performance.
- Pennsylvania American Water will receive a grant and loan package worth over 30 million dollars to build a new PFAS treatment building at its Silver Spring plant in Cumberland County, adding twelve granular activated carbon vessels arranged in parallel treatment trains.
Other funded works include new wells and distribution upgrades in rural boroughs, a wastewater plant replacement in Bradford County, and a system consolidation project in Somerset County that will retire an ageing community water system in favour of a shared network. Officials say the combined package reflects a continued focus on lead removal, PFAS mitigation and the rehabilitation of decades old infrastructure across both urban and rural communities in the state.
