Agreement With PA American to Bring Water to Cecil

An agreement with Pennsylvania American Water announced Thursday is expected to extend water service to portions of and five other Washington County communities—with the lion's share of the cost being paid for by the company.

, D-Cecil, said the tentative agreement would also extend water service to portions of Independence, Jefferson, Mt. Pleasant, North Franklin and Robinson townships.

White said area residents had been seeking water service for years, "but having to shoulder the entire cost of running the lines to their neighborhoods was beyond the financial ability of many homeowners."

The agreement, if granted final approval by the Public Utilities Commission without modification, would save affected residents "tens of thousands of dollars per household to tie in," he said in a release.

White and residents worked together with Pennsylvania American, the Office of Consumer Advocate and the Public Utilities Commission to explore proposals to provide the water service without huge tap-in fees.

In August, White and state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, joined area residents at a public input hearing to testify before the PUC on the need to extend the service.

"I give credit to the residents who worked tirelessly to make this agreement happen," White said. "Not a week went by without my office receiving a phone call about this project, and no stones were left unturned. I look forward to raising our glasses of water and toasting to all of the hard work that made this possible."

Neuman agreed.

"The residents really did their homework and conveyed their needs, and that especially showed at the PUC hearing," he said.

Under the agreement, which still must be reviewed by an administrative law judge and recommended for approval by the PUC, Pennsylvania American would assume all costs related to the installation of the main water line—estimated at $2.6 million.

Customers would be responsible for installing the service line from the main to their building, a one-time activation fee of $30 and their monthly water bill.

White said portions of Reissing Road in Cecil will receive water service, but that it was unclear Thursday how many homes would be affected.

"We should have the list sometime tomorrow," he said.

Recently, Pennsylvania American requested a rate increase with the PUC, which is requiring the water company to expand its infrastructure and make safety improvements.

In addition, the agreement will require Pennsylvania American to develop a program for systematic evaluation of main extensions to address documented health and safety problems that exist within PWAC’s service territory.

A copy of the agreement can be found on the OCA website, http://www.oca.state.pa.us/.

It is expected that the PUC will issue its final approval to make this agreement official in mid-November.