senatorstout.com

Stout, White, Solobay & Daley Announce Grants for Washington County

HARRISBURG, July 15, 2009 -- State Sen. J. Barry Stout, Rep. Jesse White, Rep. Tim Solobay and Rep. Pete Daley (all D-Washington) announced yesterday more than $33.4 million in state grants for sewer projects in Washington County.

“Economic health and growth depend upon well-designed and well-maintained infrastructure,” Stout (D-Greene/Washington) said. “Reaching these goals is nearly impossible without help from the state.”

The grants announced by Stout and White include:

  • Independence-Cross Creek Joint Sewer Authority - $5 million for installation of 90,000 linear feet of gravity sewer, 3,500 linear feet of force main, 345 linear feet of pressure sewer, a pump station and an aeration sewage treatment plant. The project will reduce flow to the treatment plant and eliminate wildcat sewers and malfunctioning on-lot systems that are discharging untreated raw sewage into water.
  • Cecil Township Municipal Authority - $5 million for the Millers Run Project involving the construction of 22,250 feet of gravity collector and interceptor sewer, a new wastewater treatment plant and two remote pump stations.
  • Hanover Township Sewer Authority - $5 million for a phase 2 sewer system including a wastewater treatment plant to serve the Florence and Bavington areas.
  • Chartiers and Canton Townships - $2.2 million for installation of 1.6 miles of 15" gravity sewer interceptor line so an Interceptor & Collector System can run parallel to the Route 18 Corridor.
  • South Franklin Township - $483,083 for the construction of a sewer collector, interceptor and force main. A portion of the service area is served by malfunctioning on-lot systems which are contaminating the groundwater where the residents use private wells. The project will eliminate the on-lot systems and a deficient packaged treatment plant which will eliminate the risk of untreated sewage discharge into the Chartiers Creek.

"These grants are great news for the residents and businesses in the affected municipalities," said White. "These will be large-magnitude infrastructure enhancements for wastewater collection and treatment and will eliminate public health threats and environmental problems. And the icing on the cake is that because they are grants ratepayers will see these improvements at the lowest possible impact on their wallets."

The grants announced by Stout and Solobay include:

  • North Strabane Township Municipal Authority - $2.5 million for the Linden Creek sewer project which would improve the sewer collection system and construct 32,100 linear feet of sewer lines for water treatment.
  • Bentleyville Borough - $250,000 for the Washington Street Storm Sewer Project which would provide replacement facilities for storm water transmission to Pigeon Creek, replacing the old deteriorated and collapsing sewer pipe system that had created street flooding.

“Flooding can be a serious problem as waters rise quickly and often without warning. Flood waters can also pollute residents’ drinking water supplies. These state grants will ensure the safety and health of our residents and I am pleased the Commonwealth is making this multi-million dollar investment in Washington County,” Solobay said.

Stout and Daley announce the following grant:

  • Center-West Joint Sewer Authority - $5 million for the basic infrastructure necessary to collect and treat sanitary sewage from existing residential and commercial structures in West Brownsville Borough, Washington County.
    “Our offices have collaborated with local officials to obtain this grant money and these projects are vital to the health and safety of our residents, Daley said. “This funding will help increase the economic vitality of the area.”

The following grant was announced by Stout, Solobay and Daley:

  • Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority - $5 million for the installation of 27,000 linear feet of 12-inch water line along Route 221 in Washington Township and 39,000 linear feet along Route 19 in Amwell Township.

The grants were awarded through the Department of Community and Economic Development's H2O PA Water Supply Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Projects Grant program. Established by the General Assembly in July 2008, the H2O PA Act provides grants for the acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion or rehabilitation of water supplies, sewage disposal or storm water systems.

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