North Manheim Twp., Tamaqua Borough part of $274 million awarded in state and federal funding to improve water quality in 22 counties across Pennsylvania

Twenty-two counties across the commonwealth, including Schuylkill, were awarded portions of $274 million for 30 drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and non-point source projects through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, or PENNVEST, the Shapiro administration announced Wednesday.

The projects include replacing lead or other corrosive pipes, rehabilitating aging systems, upgrading service capabilities, extending service to more communities and reducing environmental contaminants through compliance with current regulatory levels and agricultural best management practices, according to a press release.

In the county, the North Manheim Twp. Authority received a $2,345,265 loan to extend the public sewer system to service 55 equivalent dwelling units within the township. The extension project includes 4,800 linear feet of 8-inch polyvinyl chloride sanitary sewer, thirty 4-foot diameter precast concrete manholes, wyes, laterals, cleanouts, utility coordination, traffic control and associated site restoration.

This extension will eliminate 21 on-lot disposal systems that are currently reported as malfunctioning, address additional systems that are suspected of malfunction and reduce high nitrate levels reported in the water sampling of 10 properties in the project area.

Also, the Tamaqua Borough Authority received a $12,207,701 grant and a $7,792,299 loan for improvements and upgraded equipment at the wastewater treatment plant.

The improvements entail the construction of new headworks and boiler buildings with new digester gas handling equipment, the installation of one flash mix tank, supervisory control and data acquisition system, piping, the rehabilitation of the primary and secondary clarifiers, aeration tanks and primary digester, the refurbishment of the laboratory and replacement of aeration blowers, chlorine gas system with sodium hypochlorite disinfection, belt filter press with a dewatering screw press, the conversion of two aeration tanks to swing equalization basins, the installation of a magnesium hydroxide system and upgrades to the plant’s electrical service, as well as site work associated with the improvements.

This project will bring the plant into compliance and allow the plant to run more efficiently and reduce energy usage.

The 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.

“For more than thirty-six years, PENNVEST has been dedicated to the mission of providing resources for clean water across the Commonwealth,” PENNVEST Chairman Brian Regli was quoted in a release. “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.”

In addition, the following counties were awarded funds or loans for drinking water projects: Blair, Bucks, Erie, Indiana, Lawrence, and Luzerne (Freeland Municipal Authority and Hazleton City Authority).

Wastewater projects were awarded grants or loans in the following counties: Allegheny, Berks, Blair, Luzerne (Conyngham-Sugarloaf Joint Municipal Authority), Mercer, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Tioga, Wayne, Westmoreland, York,

Finally, stormwater projects were awarded grants/loans in Clarion, Dauphin counties and non-designated projects were awarded grants/loans in Beaver, Dauphin, Huntingdon and Northampton counties.

For projects noted above as funded with DWSRF, CWSRF, and IIJA federal funds, the use of the word ‘grant’ within this release is defined as a principal forgiveness loan, which is the functional equivalent of a grant in that it does not require repayment. For those same projects with loan terms extending beyond 20 years, the use of the word ‘loan’ equates to a bond purchase.