New Buyer Emerges In Towamencin Sewer Sale Saga, Sparks Protests

TOWAMENCIN TOWNSHIP, PA — Plans for renewable energy company NextEra to purchase the Towamencin Township wastewater system have gone down the drain, and local water business Pennsylvania American Water appears poised to take over the deal.

The move was expectedly met with harsh opposition from the long-term detractors of the sale, who say that switching the ownership of the township's sewer system from public to private will be bad for local residents.

Speficially, members of the advocacy group Towamencin Neighbors Opposing Privatization Efforts (NOPE) argue that Pennsylvania American Water's sewer rates have skyrocketed in recent years.

"We do not want to sell to NextEra, PAWC or any other investors. This backdoor tax is atrocious," wrote group member Kofi Osei.

Supporters on the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors say that the sale will give the township more money and that a private company specializing in this type of management is better suited to run the sewer system.

Chuck Wilson, chairman of the Board, said PA American Water is "widely regarded for their operation of wastewater systems, customer service, and environmental stewardship."

"As the Commonwealth’s largest water and wastewater provider, we have a proven history of working collaboratively with local partners to deliver the best long-term solution for their water and wastewater utility services,” Pennsylvania American Water President Justin Ladner said in a statement. “We are well positioned to leverage our resources and expertise to address the needs of this community and look forward to welcoming new customers into a region we have long served.”

With NextEra backing out to focus on other renewable energy projects, township officials amended the cost of the sewer system to $104 million, which they said was an everage of independent valuations. Thats' $11 million less than the sewer was originally sold for, but it's also $11.6 million more than PA American Water originally bid for it.

The complex sale procedures have been underway for years and will not be completed until mid-2024 at the earliest, officials said.

Roughly 6,300 residents are served by the Towamencin wastewater system.