Federal aid to connect Darlington Twp. to Beaver Falls water supply

DARLINGTON TWP. ― More than $3.6 million in federal funding will expand access to clean public drinking water for township residents relying on private wells.

The aid will connect residents to Beaver Falls Municipal Authority water.

Access to a municipal water source and upgraded infrastructure will help address concerns about drinking water safety a year after Norfolk Southern’s train disaster on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

“This infrastructure is vital in providing a source to clean safe drinking water should a future need arise,” said Darlington Township Supervisor Mike Carreon.

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and John Fetterman, D-Braddock, alongside U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-17, Aspinwall, announced the funding on Friday.

“Pennsylvania’s constitution guarantees the right to pure water, but Norfolk Southern’s train derailment last year threatened that right for Darlington residents,” said Casey. “I fought for this funding with Sen. Fetterman and Congressman Deluzio because providing access to clean water is a prime example of taxpayer dollars going exactly where they should: right back into our communities.”

A year after Norfolk Southern’s chemical spill and hours-long vent and burn of hazardous materials, some Darlington Township residents remain reluctant to use their water.

“Norfolk Southern's derailment spewed chemicals and a toxic fireball in our region, threatening our water and more,” said Deluzio. “Since then, folks in Darlington Township have been worried about the safety of their drinking water, and that is unacceptable.”

Fetterman called the grant a “critical investment for a community that is too often forgotten by Washington.”

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Federal aid to connect Darlington Twp. to Beaver Falls water supply