Aqua Pennsylvania is monitoring the situation in Abington Township, Montgomery County as first responders work to control a fire at SPS Technologies. Aqua responded to the scene late Monday night and concluded that there is currently no risk to drinking water in the surrounding area.  We will continue to monitor the situation and will alert customers of any drinking water quality concerns.  Due to the firefighting effort, some customers in the area may experience lower than normal water pressure.  

Aqua Pennsylvania customers might notice that their drinking water has a slightly salty taste. This change is largely attributed to the runoff of road salts used on roadways, parking lots, and other treated surfaces in response to winter storms and icing conditions. Road salts are typically made up of a combination of sodium, chloride and calcium, all of which are naturally occurring and can be found in drinking water on any given day. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) do not have drinking water standards for either sodium or calcium. EPA and DEP have a secondary standard for chloride, however secondary standards are not considered to have any public health risks. The issue is further exacerbated from low stream flow from the persistent drought which has the effect of limiting dilution of the chloride concentrations.  Barring additional salting of roads, the salty taste in the water should pass within a few days. We thank our customers for their patience and understanding. 

NOTICE
PUBLIC INPUT HEARINGS: IN-PERSON AND TELEPHONIC
Application of Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, Inc. for Approval
of its Acquisition of the Wastewater System Assets of the City of Beaver Falls
Pursuant to Sections 507, 508, 1102 and 1329 of the Public Utility Code
Docket No. A-2022-3033138
Presiding Officer: Administrative Law Judge F. Joseph Brady

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) will conduct 4 Public Input Hearings concerning the Application and related filings for Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, Inc.’s (“Aqua”) acquisition of all of the assets, properties and rights related to the wastewater collection and treatment system owned by the City of Beaver Falls (“Beaver Falls” or “the City”). The filing is made pursuant to Sections 507, 508, 1102, and 1329 of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Code (the “Code”), 66 Pa.C.S. §§ 507, 508, 1102, 1329.

IN-PERSON PUBLIC INPUT HEARINGS
Pre-registration is not required.
(1)

(2)

TELEPHONIC PUBLIC INPUT HEARINGS

 Pre-registration is encouraged by Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM.

To participate in the Telephonic Public Input Hearing:
Toll-free Conference Number: 866.675.4411
PIN Number: 23464163

• You must dial the toll-free Conference number above
• You must enter the PIN number above when instructed
• You must speak your name when prompted, and press #
• Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing

TO PRE-REGISTER BY EMAIL: Email the PUC Judges’ Legal Assistant, Christina M. Biggica, at cbiggica@pa.gov and provide the information below.

TO PRE-REGISTER BY TELEPHONE: Call the Legal Assistant’s office phone at 717-783 5453 and provide the information below.

PRE-REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Whether pre-registering by email or telephone, in both cases, provide the following information:

1. your first and last name,
2. the phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing,
3. a phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact your, and
4. your email address, if you have one.

Failure to pre-register could result in you not being called to testify by the PUC judge.

NEED ASSISTANCE WITH PRE-REGISTRATION? If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide the PUC Judge all the information listed above. Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household by providing the PUC Judges’ Legal Assistant with the above-listed information for each individual.

REQUESTS FOR INTERPRETERS: If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter. If you request an interpreter, the PUC will make reasonable efforts to have one present. TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is: 711

HEARING EXHIBITS: If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during the hearing, please email them to the Presiding Officer, at fbrady@pa.gov. The PUC Judge will forward your exhibits to all the parties. Exhibits for the public input hearing must be received by the PUC Judge by: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 4 PM.

QUESTIONS? The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the interests of utility customers before the PUC. If you have questions about the public input hearings or the Company’s application, please contact the OCA toll free on 1-800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.

December 17, 2024 -- Aqua Pennsylvania has issued a continuation of the Boil Water Advisory that was already in effect for customers served by the Plumer Water Company in Venango County.  Aqua customers in the affected area are advised to use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation until further notice. You will be notified when this Boil Water Advisory is lifted. Aqua Pennsylvania is currently operating the system as receiver under order from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Customers are also encouraged to visit https://aquawater.com/rhodes for more information on this receivership.

November 18, 2024 -- Due to the extended period of dry weather, effective immediately, Aqua Pennsylvania is implementing Mandatory Water Conservation measures for all customers served by our Roaring Creek Water Plant in the following communities: Northumberland County: (Ralpho Township, Zerbe Township, Coal Township, Mt. Carmel Township); Columbia County: (Conyngham Township, Centralia Borough); Schuylkill County: (Butler Township, Gordon Borough, Girardville Borough). We find these stricter measures are necessary based on current and expected continued dry weather conditions for the foreseeable future. Your cooperation is critical to helping us ensure an adequate water supply. To be clear, this mandatory conservation applies to all NONESSENTIAL residential water use. You can find a full press release with more information and conservation tips in the link below.

November 1, 2024 -- Due to drier than normal weather conditions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Aqua is encouraging customers to voluntarily conserve water. This request is being made following the Aqua team’s analysis of surface and groundwater conditions. Cutting back on water use during this period of extended dry weather is easier than many people may think. Here are some helpful tips on reducing water use: Don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth or shaving. Take showers, not baths: Showers are more efficient and use less water. The shorter the shower, the better. A 10-minute shower uses half the amount of water as a full bathtub. Cut back on rinsing dishes. Scrape off the food and let the dishwasher do the rest. Only run the dishwasher when it is full. Limit your outdoor watering and check automatic sprinkler heads.Consider if areas of your yard can go without watering as we enter the colder season. To be clear, Aqua monitors and manages our water supplies actively every day and we are confident in being able to supply our systems, but we are recommending voluntary conservation as a precaution. While we cannot predict how long the dry weather will continue, our operations, environmental and compliance experts plan for this type of weather event with our customers in mind. Aqua’s drought team will continue to monitor the situation to ensure continued service and reliability. To this end, we ask our customers to use water wisely in this abnormal period that is affecting the entire two states. As always, if our customers have any specific concerns or questions, please reach out to us at 877.987.2782. We will keep you updated of any significant changes.