On Jun. 5, Pennsylvania American Water welcomed a group of local stakeholders to visit its York Wastewater Treatment Plant for an event commemorating two years of the company’s ownership of the system. Pennsylvania American Water acquired the wastewater system from the City of York in late May 2022.

Following brief remarks from Pennsylvania American Water, the City of York, and the York County Economic Alliance, approximately 40 elected officials, municipal leaders, and members of the local business community toured the treatment plant, gaining a behind-the-scenes look into the many infrastructure investments and system improvements that have been made since the acquisition took place.

“To have the opportunity to celebrate this milestone with members of our community and to show them firsthand how we’re working to improve the wastewater service we provide to them is a real honor,” said Pennsylvania American Water President Justin Ladner. “It takes time, proper planning, careful implementation, and of course, investment dollars, to address system challenges. That is something Pennsylvania American Water is committed to do, and we can see a perfect example right here in York.”

Prior to Pennsylvania American Water’s acquisition just two years ago, the wastewater plant was troubled by numerous permit violations that led to a consent order being issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with 10 associated projects. As part of the acquisition and to position the system for a healthy future, the company committed to investing approximately $17.5 million in York wastewater system, including wastewater treatment process improvements, technology and control system upgrades, and wastewater collection system rehabilitation projects.

“We take pride in continuously maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure that keeps our water and wastewater systems operating efficiently,” said Ladner. “The improvements we’ve made have helped keep the York Wastewater Plant within DEP permit regulations — with no violations since the acquisition took place. We’ve saved on operating costs; improved security and quality of service; and, at the same time, we’ve helped reduce environmental impacts on the local watershed.”

Across the state, water and wastewater systems are struggling under similar circumstances following years of neglect and inadequate updates. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Pennsylvania Infrastructure Report Card, gives the state a D- for the wastewater industry, noting an $8.4 billion dollar funding gap over the next 10 years. Pennsylvania’s water systems are in a similar state, receiving a D grade with a $10.2 billion funding gap over the same period.

The York Wastewater Treatment Plant serves more than 45,000 customer connections, including 14,000 direct customers in the City of York and bulk service to indirect customers in the seven neighboring municipalities. These include the townships of Spring Garden, Manchester, West Manchester, York, and Springettsbury and the Boroughs of North York and West York. The sprawling system includes more than 100 miles of collection main and a treatment plant capable of treating up to 26 million gallons of wastewater per day.  

Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.3 million people.