Aqua Pennsylvania today announced that in 2018 it completed $161 million of strategic water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades in its four-county southeastern division. The strategic capital investments were made to rebuild and replace aging water and wastewater infrastructure throughout Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

“We are proud of the work our team completed last year to upgrade and replace infrastructure throughout the division,” said Aqua Pennsylvania President Marc Lucca. “Our top priority is to deliver safe, quality drinking water and reliable water and wastewater services to our customers in concert with our responsibility as stewards of Earth’s most essential resource. We are mindful that water and wastewater infrastructure across the state and country continues to be in critical need of replacement and rehabilitation. Our strategically planned capital program allows us to make continuous necessary improvements across our communities in Pennsylvania so we can continue to provide outstanding customer service. We look forward to continuing this commitment in 2019 and the years to come.”

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Aqua’s capital program includes a comprehensive main replacement component that has enabled it to reduce the number of water main breaks by 60 percent from nearly 25 breaks per 100 miles of main in 2002 to fewer than 10 main breaks per 100 miles of main in 2018. The new mains improve service reliability, generally increase water flow, including that used for firefighting, and ensure continued water quality by reducing the potential for discolored water, which is sometimes associated with old cast iron water mains. “These capital improvements, along with other operational changes, have allowed us to reduce water loss due to leaks and main breaks by approximately two billion gallons per year. This is water that remains in our streams, lakes, rivers and groundwater wells,” said Lucca.

Among its larger main replacements last year was a $4.1 million replacement of approximately 9,200 feet of aging cast iron and cement mains on Edge Hill Road in Abington Township, Montgomery County. The company also completed two major main replacements totaling more than $3 million in Springfield Township, Delaware County: the replacement of an old  24-inch cast iron transmission main on Sproul Road with 7,181 feet of new 24-inch ductile iron main at a cost of $2 million and a $1 million replacement of 4,065 feet of aging distribution main with new 6-and 8-inch ductile iron main on Meetinghouse Lane.

Aqua also made significant improvements to its water and wastewater treatment facilities, including a $4.2 million project at its Pickering East water treatment facility in Schuylkill Township that greatly improved pre-treatment of the raw water entering the filters, which results in improved water quality of the finished water leaving the plant. The project also improved plant capacity and redundancy, the latter of which further ensures the performance reliability of the treatment facility.

Additionally, Aqua continued a $32 million rehabilitation of its 1.8-million-gallon Media wastewater treatment facility in Delaware County. The utility completed demolition of an obsolete filter and other site work including construction of a special retaining wall, and concrete foundations for two new clarifiers as well as for a new pump station.

In total in 2018, Aqua’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Division invested:

• $5.15 million in Bucks County
• $35.22 million in Chester County
• $68.72 million in Delaware County
• $52.70 million in Montgomery County

Across Pennsylvania, Aqua invested more than $247 million in infrastructure in 2018. Aqua plans to spend $323 million on water and wastewater system improvements in 2019.

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