Harrisburg, U.S.A. – Governor Tom Corbett announced on July 18 the investment of $87 million in 18 non-point source, drinking water, and wastewater projects in 18 counties through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST).

“The projects funded at today’s PENNVEST meeting will bring both environmental improvements and much needed new jobs to areas all across our state,” Corbett said. “This funding is an investment in the future health of our citizens and our economy, both of which are of critical importance to me and my administration.”

Of the $87 million total, $77 million is for low-interest loans and $10 million is offered as grants.

The awards range from a $131,000 grant to eliminate nutrient discharges from a stream in Lancaster County and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay to a $17.7 million loan/grant combination for a project in Lycoming County to eliminate the discharge of waste from on-lot septic systems into publicly accessible areas.

The funding comes from a combination of state funds approved by voters, federal grants to PENNVEST from the Environmental Protection Agency and recycled loan repayments from previous PENNVEST funding awards. Funds for the projects are disbursed after bills for work are paid and receipts are submitted to PENNVEST.

PENNVEST drinking water projects:

Armstrong and Clarion counties

Redbank Valley Municipal Authority received a $346,000 loan to install alternate power source facilities in order to eliminate power fluctuations to the treatment plant that compromise the plant’s ability to effectively operate and assure healthy water quality.

Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties

Hazelton City Authority received a $5,917,075 loan to replace approximately 15,260 household water meters that will allow the authority to reduce water losses by quickly detecting leaks in the system.

Fayette, Greene and Washington counties

Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority received an $8,660,300 loan to upgrade and expand the authority’s Tin Can Hollow water treatment plant, including new filters, pumps and other facilities that will ensure a safe and reliable source of water both for household consumption and fire protection.

Potter County

Galeton Borough Authority received a $520,127 loan to breach two impoundment dams and replace them with stream channel infiltration facilities that are not only less expensive to maintain but also provide increased water availability, particularly during low-flow conditions.

Somerset County

Jefferson Township Water and Sewer Authority received a $768,111 loan and a $550,889 grant to construct approximately five miles of water distribution lines and a new water storage tank to eliminate the use of contaminated drinking water wells in the village of Bakerstown.

Washington County

Pennsylvania American Water Company received a $2,250,000 loan to construct over six miles of water distribution lines and a booster pump station to serve various areas of the county where over 50 percent of the private drinking water wells are contaminated with coliform bacteria.

PENNVEST Wastewater Projects

Armstrong County

West Hills Area Water Pollution Control Authority received a $10,435,500 loan new sewage collection lines and a pump station to serve areas of East Franklin Township and Buffalo Township where malfunctioning on-lot systems and wildcat sewers are discharging raw sewage into Glade Run and a tributary of the Allegheny River.

Beaver County

Rochester Borough Sewer and Maintenance Authority received a $1,147,283 loan and a $1,379,717 grant install more than a mile of new sanitary and storm sewers to eliminate the wet weather discharge of untreated sewage into McKinley Run, Beaver Run and the Ohio River.

Butler County

Buffalo Township Municipal Authority received a $1,560,670 loan to expand the authority’s treatment plant and upgrade a pumping station to eliminate overloading of the plant and to accommodate additional wastewater flows, particularly from local businesses that will expand their operations as a result of this project and thereby create 90 new full-time jobs.

Cambria County

• Johnstown City received a $10,898,000 loan to install almost seven miles of new collection sewers to eliminate wet weather overflows of untreated sewage into Stony Creek.
• Johnstown Redevelopment Authority received a $9,052,570 loan to construct more than three miles of replacement interceptor sewers to eliminate wet weather overflows into the Conemaugh River.

Lycoming County

Tiadaghton Valley Municipal Authority received a $14,146,008 loan and a $3,717,312 grant to construct a new wastewater treatment plant, eight miles of new collection sewers and a pump station to eliminate the use of malfunctioning on-lot septic systems that are discharging inadequately treated waste into publicly accessible areas and also to meet nutrient discharge limits required under the Chesapeake Bay initiative.

McKean County

Hamlin Township received a $2,424,173 loan and a $2,383,827 grant to construct more than seven miles of sewage collection lines to eliminate the use of malfunctioning on-lot septic systems that are discharging inadequately treated sewage into local streams. The project will also allow businesses to expand and create 50 new jobs in the area.

Mifflin County

Burnham Borough Authority received an $8,679,268 loan and a $1,492,732 grant to construct a new treatment plant and replace combined sewer facilities in order to eliminate excess nutrient discharges into the Chesapeake Bay watershed as well as allow for local business expansions that will create 91 new full-time jobs.

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Horizon Lines has announced that its Horizon Lines, LLC operating subsidiary has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, under which the ocean cargo carrier will plead guilty to two counts of providing federal authorities with false vessel oil record-keeping entries on a containership in the U.S. West Coast-Hawaii service.

Under the agreement, which is subject to court approval, the company will pay a fine of $1.0 million and donate an additional $500,000 to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for environmental community service programs. The company also has agreed to be placed on probation for three years and institute an environmental compliance plan.

The charges stem from the improper use of an oily water separator and related inappropriate record keeping on the Horizon Enterprise, an American-flag containership that sails between Tacoma, Oakland and Honolulu.  Oily water separators are used to remove oil from bilge or wastewater, so that the water can then be legally discharged into the ocean.

The company responded promptly and proactively to the discovery of these violations. As part of the company’s environmental review, Horizon Lines conducted a fleet-wide audit and has cooperated fully with the Department of Justice, the U.S. Coast Guard and other authorities involved. It also immediately implemented a compliance and training program, which is being performed by an outside contractor.

The program augments the company’s existing environmental policies for mitigating operational impacts while at sea. Additionally, the company has established the position of Environmental Compliance Director to lead Horizon’s overall environmental compliance programs. The position reports directly to the company’s Chief Compliance Officer and the Board of Directors.

“Horizon Lines has always endeavored to operate as a responsible environmental steward,” said Stephen Fraser, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We do not in any way minimize the unauthorized actions by a few individuals that run contrary to the care and training normally demonstrated by our vessel crews throughout the company.  We are making every effort to see that this does not happen again, as we continue to provide service to our customers as an environmentally responsible American corporation.”

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/armgov/

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Tri-Tech Holding, which provides turn-key water resources management, water and wastewater treatment, industrial safety and pollution control solutions, announced that it has secured a Build-Transfer contract for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant and a wastewater pipeline network in Dawangdian Industrial Park in Xushui County, Hebei Province. The aggregate budget of the projects is totaled at approximately $7.9 million (50 million RMB).

The project contract will be implemented under a Build-Transfer model. Upon the completion, the company will transfer the ownership of the project to Xushui Government for commission.

Under the terms of the contract, the company will construct a wastewater treatment plant in an industrial park in Dawangdian Township, Xushui County using Orbal Oxidation Ditch technology. The plant will have a daily treatment capacity of 15,000 cubic meters, and treated water discharged from the treatment plant will comply with Class 1A standards, as defined in the National Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants. As part of the contract, the company will build 15.3 kilometers of wastewater pipeline network in the industrial park.

The company will participate in civil construction, equipment procurement, installation, treatment process calibration, operator training and trial operation for the plant and wastewater pipelines. Both projects are scheduled to be completed by November 2012.

Mr. Gavin Cheng, President of Tri-Tech Holding commented, “Upon commission, the wastewater treatment system will improve the industrial park area’s environment, which should make the industrial park more attractive to investors and businesses considering relocation. The project treatment mix will be approximately 70% industrial wastewater and 30% sewage. We expect that the implementation of the project will enhance our visibility in China’s industrial wastewater treatment sector. We expect more opportunities to compete in this sector and market region.”

Mr. Warren Zhao, CEO of Tri-Tech Holding said, “We are delighted that Tri-Tech continues its steady performance in China’s wastewater treatment sector following several international water and wastewater projects awarded in previous months. The Hebei-Tianjin area is quite familiar to Tri-Tech since we penetrated the traditional municipal wastewater sector at an early stage. With years of project implementation experience, we have evolved from simply providing construction services for wastewater plants to being capable of implementing complete municipal wastewater treatment facility systems such as treatment plants, wastewater piping and pump stations. The extended capability will further ensure a competitive edge in the market.

“In October 2011, The Proposals on Key Issues of Environment Protection issued by the State Council emphasized the Chinese government will extend sewage collection network coverage and improve construction of urban sewage collection networks to improve waste control. According to the 12th Five-Year Plan on Environmental Protection recently issued by the State Council, industrial wastewater control projects have been included in a list of eight key environmental protection projects to be implemented during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

“During the period, we expect significant market opportunity for industrial wastewater treatment in industrial parks as these parks promote low-carbon concepts and comply with regulatory pollution control standards. With these opportunities in mind, Tri-Tech will focus on wastewater pipelining and industrial wastewater treatment in order to participate in building China’s wastewater treatment infrastructure.”

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Bernardin Lochmueller & Associates (BLA), a leader in sustainable infrastructure design, recently received a method patent for its Eco-Treatment constructed wetland system to treat wastewater from animal confinement operations

Manure management processes by Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have come under increasing scrutiny. Some CAFOs store manure in lagoons, until they can dispose of it, most often by applying it to fields. Environmentalists and some regulators are concerned about the release of raw wastes into watersheds, especially when rain causes lagoons to overflow or manure runs off of fields into nearby bodies of water.

In 2008 the EPA established zero discharge requirements but did not require facility-specific reporting. A proposed EPA rule would require CAFOs to provide information on waste discharges starting this July in an effort to protect water quality. The public comment period for this new rule closes January 19.

Constructed wetlands, whether used as a stand-alone system or in combination with land application or other treatment alternatives, offer a cost-effective solution to assist CAFOs in meeting the zero discharge requirement. Using plants and a variety of filter media, the system provides a natural approach to reducing or eliminating nutrients and other chemicals from manure and wastes. The system can even be fine-tuned to provide effluent with nutrient loads that match the needs of specific crops.

To date, BLA’s Water Resources Team, led by Mark Harrison, PE, LEED AP, has designed more than 80 constructed wetland systems for the treatment of animal waste, site and municipal sewage, and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). A number of these have won state and national awards for innovative engineering.

One recent project is saving the City of Washington, Indiana, a city of 12,000, more than $40 million on its plan to meet federal mandates for CSO water quality. The wetland system will also save the city $1.6 million in annual operations and maintenance. It was recently named one of the Top Projects for 2011 by Water & Wastes Digest.

“Constructed wetlands offer a variety of benefits,” says Harrison. “Because nature does the work, it reduces the energy used, be that energy needed to transport manure or run a mechanical treatment system, not to mention cutting the cost of additional chemicals to treat waste. In some instances, we’ve even designed wetlands to provide habitat for wildlife or walking trails. It’s just an all-around great solution!”

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