North Huntingdon sewage authority says $30M upgrade won't require rate hikes

Joe Napsha, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Feb. 15—North Huntingdon's sewage authority is planning to spend $30 million to upgrade its plant near the Youghiogheny River.

The project will allow the facility to treat more sewage, but it will not cause a rise in rates, the authority's executive said.

The authority is designing the upgrades to the Turner Valley Road plant so it will be able process about 4 million gallons of sewage daily, up from about 3.3 million possible gallons per day now, said Michael Branthoover, authority general manager. The additional capacity will allow the plant to handle any future development in the township, Branthoover said.

Construction could begin and be completed in 2022, Branthoover said.

To pay for the project, the authority will seek low-interest loans and grants from PennVEST, the state's financial arm for funding wastewater and clean water systems.

"Our goal is not to have to increase rates," Branthoover said.

The authority serves about 12,500 customers in North Huntingdon and small sections of neighboring communities. The treatment plant processes sewage from customers south of Route 30. Wastewater from customers north of Route 30 is treated at the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority plant at Brush Creek along Route 993, which also serves customers in Irwin, Manor, North Irwin, North Huntingdon and parts of Hempfield and Penn townships, according to the authority.

The existing treatment plant was built in 1970, and replacement parts are hard to find. It also is difficult to meet the treatment limits of 3.3 million gallons a day, Branthoover said. With a new permit anticipated in a year or so, that treatment level will be hard to achieve, Branthoover told township commissioners.

The new system will have a screen to remove grit, which is a problem that affects the equipment.

It will eliminate the use of hyperchloride, which dumps concentrated chloride into the discharged water that flows into Youghiogheny River, Branthoover said. It will be replaced by a system using ultraviolet rays.

The authority recently presented township officials with its Act 537 sewage treatment facilities plan study of the proposed upgrades to the plant. Township commissioners are expected to vote Wednesday on approval of the study.

That plan will be presented to the state Department of Environmental Protection for its review and approval, Branthoover said.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .