NOTICES
PENNSYLVANIA INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AUTHORITY
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Environmental Assessment Approval for PENNVEST Funding Consideration
[53 Pa.B. 1614]
[Saturday, March 18, 2023]Scope: Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Projects for the April 19, 2023, Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) Board meeting consideration.
Description: PENNVEST, which administers the Commonwealth's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), is intended to be the funding source for the following projects. The Department of Environmental Protection's (Department) review of these projects, and the information received in the Environmental Report for these projects, has not identified any significant, adverse environmental impact resulting from any of the proposed projects. The Department hereby approves the Environmental Assessment for each project. If no significant comments are received during this comment period, the Environmental Assessment will be considered approved and funding for the project will be considered by PENNVEST.
To be considered, the Department must receive comments on this approval on or by Monday, April 17, 2023. Comments, including comments submitted by e-mail, must include the commentator's name and address. Commentators are encouraged to submit comments using the Department's online eComment tool at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment. Written comments can also be submitted by e-mail to ecomment@pa.gov or by mail to the Policy Office, Department of Environmental Protection, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063. Use ''PENNVEST SRF-Environmental Assessment'' as the subject line in written communication.
For more information about the approval of the following Environmental Assessments or the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Programs, contact Richard Wright, Bureau of Clean Water, Department of Environmental Protection, P.O. Box 8774, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774, (717) 772-4059, riwright@pa.gov, or visit the Department's web site at www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Water/CleanWater/InfrastructureFinance/Pages/default.aspx.
Comments received during the comment period, along with the Department's comment and response document will be available on the Department's web site at www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Water/CleanWater/Infrastructure Finance/Pages/EnvironmentalReview.aspx.
Upon approval, the full list of approved projects and their costs can be found in a press release on PENNVEST's web site at www.pennvest.pa.gov.
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CWSRF Projects Being Considered:
Applicant: Forest Hills Municipal Authority County: Cambria Applicant Address: 900 Locust Street
Saint Michael, PA 15951Project Description: This project consists of constructing a new autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) system to improve sludge dewatering efficiency, as well as produce Class A biosolids which can be reused as fertilizer. This will decrease the total amount of solids leaving the plant and eliminate the need for sludge disposal at a landfill. The ATAD system includes an ATAD basin, a storage nitrification denitrification reactor basin, a biofilter, pumps, blowers, a thickener and an equipment building. Additionally, a new ultraviolet (UV) channel will be constructed next to the existing one. The new UV channel will utilize modern equipment and add redundancy to the disinfection process.
Problem Description: The existing belt filter press at the Forest Hills Municipal Authority South Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant is outdated and inefficient causing poor sludge dewatering results (10—14% solids). This, combined with increasing landfill disposal fees, has resulted in high annual sludge disposal costs.
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Applicant: Perry Township County: Mercer Applicant Address: 1096 Fredonia Road
P.O. Box 69
Hadley, PA 16130Project Description: Perry Township currently owns and operates a publicly owned treatment works in Perry Township, Mercer County, that includes a wastewater collection and conveyance system to a treatment plant. The collection system will be expanded to the Commodore Perry School property located at 3002 Perry Highway (US Route 19) and will extend south to the existing planned sewer north of the intersection of Fredonia Road and US Route 19. The project consists of 5,800 linear feet (LF) of 3-inch pressure main, one quadplex grinder pump unit, six simplex grinder pump units, two duplex grinder pump stations, service lateral kits, one equalization tank and one emergency generator.
Problem Description: The Commodore Perry School District has an aging wastewater treatment facility that has reached the end of its useful life. The buried carbon steel treatment tanks are showing signs that structural integrity will soon become a concern. The structure housing the blowers and chemical feed system has fallen into disrepair and needs to be replaced or eliminated. The electrical control system needs repair or replacement as well. Connecting to the Perry Township public wastewater system will eliminate the need for the aging treatment facility and will eliminate the discharge to the receiving stream. The existing sewage treatment plant, authorized to discharge under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit number PA0030295, will be removed from use and demolished once the connection to public sewer has been made. In addition to the school, eight homes along the proposed sewer extension line will be connected.
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DWSRF Projects Being Considered:
Applicant: Cowanshannock Township Municipal Authority County: Armstrong Applicant Address: P.O. Box 127
NuMine, PA 16244-0127Project Description: Cowanshannock Township Municipal Authority currently owns and operates a public water system in Cowanshannock Township, Armstrong County. This public water system includes a groundwater treatment plant known as the Yatesboro Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The existing industrial wastewater treatment system for backwash associated with the WTP will be replaced with a wastewater discharge line connected to a sanitary sewer system. Construction associated with the WTP's wastewater discharge line conveying backwash will include the installation of 6,745 LF of 2-inch diameter drain line, 6-inch gravity sewer, six plug valves, two air release vaults, 1 meter vault, 30 LF of 6-inch diameter steel casing pipe, three dosing pumps, three 6,000-gallon concrete tanks, draining and backfilling the pond, erosion and sedimentation controls and seeding, electrical upgrades including new service and manual emergency generator connection, and telemetry. In addition to the wastewater discharge line, the WTP filtration system will undergo replacement. Construction associated with the WTP will include the replacement of the two existing 78-inch diameter pressure filters, tank internal and external piping, filter media, automatic valves, magnetic flowmeters, pressure gauges, air blower, potassium permanganate color monitor, control panel with a 10-inch color operator interface terminal and electrical upgrades.
Problem Description: A Notice of Violation from the Department was issued for the Cowanshannock Township Municipal Authority's discharge of treated industrial wastewater in violation of the WTP's NPDES permit between January 2018 and March 2019. On November 4, 2021, the Cowanshannock Township Municipal Authority entered into a consent order and agreement with the Department that required the Cowanshannock Township Municipal Authority to cease the operation and discharge from the WTP and install a new industrial wastewater discharge line to the Shannock Valley General Services Authority sewerage system. The Cowanshannock Township Municipal Authority also agreed to dewater the WTP lagoons, remove and properly dispose of all sludge, eliminate the outfall from the WTP and request termination of the NPDES permit and water quality management permit related to the WTP. In addition to the work associated with the industrial wastewater discharge line, the WTP has several components that have are no longer functioning and will require replacement since the equipment is over 30 years old and has reached the end of its useful life.
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Applicant: Cresson Township Municipal Authority County: Cambria Applicant Address: 730 Portage Road
Cresson, PA 16630Project Description: Cresson Township Municipal Authority currently owns and operates a public water system in Cresson Township, Cambria County, serving approximately 657 residential, 26 commercial and 12 institutional customers. The Cresson Township Municipal Authority intends to use PENNVEST funds to construct a water system extension project to serve certain existing residences and businesses along Admiral Peary Highway in Munster Township and Cresson Township. The lack of a water distribution system provides inadequate fire protection due to distance from water mains and limited capacity of existing water storage. Furthermore, existing individual wells have quantity and quality limitations. These problems are to be addressed by constructing approximately 18,500 LF of 8-inch diameter main from the Cresson Township Municipal Authority's system to provide water service to serve 51 new customers and add 26 new fire hydrants and 1,000 gallons per minute of fire flow. This water main diameter will allow all anticipated routine water draws to occur without materially affecting system pressure.
Problem Description: The properties in the proposed project area are served by individual wells. There are 15 wells that are contaminated with coliforms (two containing E. coli). The project will also replace the Keystone Restaurant/Truck Stop water system (public water system identification No. 4110837) and serve other commercial establishments. Nearly all wells are negatively impacted by malfunctioning on-lot disposal systems. These problems are caused by poor soil conditions, the age of the systems, existing lot sizes and steep slopes. Project will eliminate individual wells and supply potable water to the service area.
RICHARD NEGRIN,
Acting Secretary
Department of Environmental ProtectionBRION JOHNSON,
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 23-378. Filed for public inspection March 17, 2023, 9:00 a.m.]
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