Apr 22, 2015 3 min read

DRY TAVERN – Dry Tavern Sewer Authority this week received a $2.7 million state grant to help it finance the construction of a new pump station in Jefferson Township and expand sewer lines in the area.

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, or PENNVEST, announced Wednesday it approved the grant for the sewer authority along with a low-interest loan of more than $740,000 to improve the authority’s sewerage system.

The sewer authority is planning a $4.1 million infrastructure improvement project that would include construction of a pump station near Ferncliff Road and expansion of 25,000 feet of sewer lines. Construction is expected to begin in August with a completion date schedule for next July.

State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, said the infrastructure upgrades will introduce more than 100 new customers living in the Pumpkin Run Road area into the Dry Tavern system.

“The project is a major upgrade to the area’s infrastructure,” Snyder said.

Brion Johnson, PENNVEST’s deputy executive director for project management, said the Dry Tavern project was a good fit for the hybrid grant and loan program.

“We put grants in the process to move them forward for affordable customer rates,” Johnson said. “Sometimes they’re necessary to keep the project moving forward.”

In addition to the grant, PENNVEST is issuing a 20-year loan of $741,500 with a 1-percent interest rate. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also giving a $500,000 grant, and tap fees will be included in the project costs.

“The financing will spare customers from rate increases while significantly improving service,” Snyder said. “The project will eliminate discharges of raw sewage caused by wildcat and malfunctioning systems prevalent in the area.”

Mike Basista of Bankson Engineers, the authority’s engineer, said the authority has about 200 customers and the expansion will increase the customer base by more than 50 percent. The authority’s treatment plant, however, has the capacity to handle the additional flow, Basista said.

The project will require the construction of a pump station to help serve the new area. Currently, the system is operated strictly by gravity flow, he said.

Basista said the authority has not yet determined whether the expansion would entail any increase in rates for authority customers.

“We didn’t know what the offer would be (from PENNVEST) until today, and we still have to evaluate that,” he said.

The authority will review the offer at its next meeting on May 12. At that time, it should have more information on whether the award will impact customer rates and be in a position to decide whether to accept or reject it.

Staff writer Bob Niedbala contributed to this report.