Local communities grateful for Pa. American upgrades

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

Local communities were among those benefiting from infrastructure improvements Pennsylvania American Water Company made in 2020.

The company, which operates both water and wastewater treatment facilities, invested $400 million in upgrades in 2020, including $11.9 million in upgrades to the Mon Valley water distribution system and $12.8 million in upgrades to the McKeesport wastewater system.

McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said the upgrades to the sewerage system in his community are something the city would have had great difficulty doing on its own.

“It’s very important to the city to have the relationship with Pennsylvania American Water that we do,” he said. “Through the sale of our sewage treatment plant that was a one- to two-year process, they have done above and beyond the things they put on the table there.”

In the past, McKeesport residents shouldered the full cost of any sewage plant improvements, Cherepko said, but under Pennsylvania American ownership, the cost is spread throughout the company’s entire client base across the state, helping to keep local rates lower.

“They’ve stood by everything they said they were going to do,” Cherepko said.

The regional improvements also include a $1.3 million project in Elizabeth Township involving construction of a new booster station on Mill Hill Road. Construction of the booster station began in November and is expected to be completed this spring.

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