Aqua Pennsylvania to replace aging pipes

SHARON, Pa. — With the recent approval of low-interest financing, Aqua Pennsylvania Inc.’s Shenango Division announced it will replace more than two miles of aging pipe.

The pipe delivers drinking water to residents in Shenango Township in Mercer County and Wilmington Township in Lawrence County.

The project is estimated to cost more than $1.2 million and will improve reliability of service for the approximately 2,550 customers in the townships and in the Borough of New Wilmington.

Aqua plans to install approximately 12,000 feet of 12-inch ductile iron pipe along Sharon-New Castle Road (Pa. Route 18). Construction will begin in January 2008 and is expected to be complete by June 2008.

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) approved the low-interest financing for this project. PENNVEST was established in 1988 to provide low-interest loans and grants to construct and improve water and wastewater collection and treatment systems. This marks the 40th project to be funded by PENNVEST in Pennsylvania within the last 10 years.

“PENNVEST financing helps us to reduce our interest expense on capital projects, which directly benefits our customers by lowering construction costs and mitigating rate increases,” said Walter J. “Buzz” Piskur, Aqua Pennsylvania president and CEO, Shenango Division. “Furthermore, we can direct savings toward additional capital improvements to improve service in the other communities we serve.”

Aqua’s Shenango Division is operated by the company’s Ohio subsidiary. Aqua Ohio is Ohio’s largest investor-owned water utility and services nearly 350,000 residents in Ohio and Sharon, Pennsylvania.

The company is a subsidiary of Aqua America, one of the largest U.S.-based publicly traded utilities serving approximately 3 million residents in 13 states. Aqua America is listed on the New York and Philadelphia Stock Exchanges under the ticket symbol WTR.