Aqua America : Pennsylvania : Wraps up 2014 $217 Million Statewide Capital Program
December 29, 2014 at 07:01 pm IST
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Aqua Pennsylvania (Aqua) today announced it has just about completed its
$217 million 2014 capital program, the majority which was dedicated to
infrastructure improvements. The company has spent approximately $200
million since the beginning of the year to make improvements to its
distribution and collection systems and treatment facilities throughout
the state. The capital expenditure for major projects includes:
$127.5 million throughout its Southeastern Pennsylvania operating
division, which comprises parts of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and
Montgomery counties
$610,000 throughout its Susquehanna operating division, which
comprises parts of Athens Township and Athens, South Waverly and Sayre
boroughs in Bradford County
$10 million throughout its White Haven operating division, which
comprises parts of Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lehigh, Monroe,
Northampton, Schuylkill, Susquehanna and Carbon counties
$8.8 million throughout its Honesdale operating division, which
comprises parts of Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties
$13.2 million throughout its Roaring Creek operating division, which
comprises parts of Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata,
Northumberland, Schuylkill and Snyder counties
$15.6 million throughout its Shenango operating division, which
comprises parts of Lawrence, Mercer, Forest, Crawford, Venango,
Clarion, Warren and Clearfield counties.
“There was a big emphasis on replacing old and smaller diameter cast
iron mains with new cement-lined ductile iron main,” said Aqua
Pennsylvania President Steve Tagert who added that much of the water
infrastructure in Pennsylvania, as well as the country, is reaching the
end of its useful life. “Similarly we made significant improvements to
many of our wastewater facilities including collection system main
replacements and improvements to our treatment facilities.”
Earlier in the year when the program was first announced, Tagert said
Aqua is committed to making ongoing, prudent investments to update and
improve its infrastructure so the utility can continue to provide
customers with quality water and wastewater services. “We have seen
first-hand how this investment is helping to increase service
reliability. For example, in our Southeastern Pennsylvania division, we
experienced 27 percent fewer main breaks during the winter of 2013 –
2014 when compared to the equally brutal winter conditions of 2008 –
2009. This decrease can be credited to the more than $950 million in
infrastructure that Aqua made in between 2009 and 2013.”
Aqua Pennsylvania serves approximately 1.4 million people in 31 counties
throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Visit AquaAmerica.com
for more information, or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica
and on Twitter at @MyAquaAmerica.
Essential Utilities, Inc. is a holding company for regulated utilities providing water, wastewater, or natural gas services. The Companyâs segments include the Regulated Water segment and the Regulated Natural Gas segment. The Regulated Water segment consists of water and wastewater regulated utility companies, which are organized by the states where the Company provides water and wastewater services. The Regulated Natural Gas segment consists of natural gas utility companies, acquired in the Peoples Gas Acquisition, for which the Company provides natural gas distribution services. It provides services across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, and Kentucky under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The Company also operates market-based activities, conducted through its non-regulated subsidiaries, that provide utility service line protection solutions and repair services to households and gas marketing and production activities.