State awards $1.4 million in grants to five municipalities, municipal authorities

Three Lebanon County municipal authorities and two boroughs will receive $1.4 million in state funds from the Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer program for improvement projects to their water or wastewater systems.

Northern Lebanon County Authority, which serves Jonestown Borough and portions of Swatara and Union townships, was awarded $372,018 to rehabilitate a portion of its collection system, with the majority of the work taking place in Jonestown. The project involves installing a PVC-type liner inside existing pipes. The original collection system is more than 40 years old, and the pipes are deteriorating from hydrogen sulfide or “sewer gas” produced in wastewater, said plant superintendent Jim Darkas.

The PVC liner will protect the pipe from further degradation and reduce groundwater infiltration through existing joints and cracks, Darkas said. This is the sixth year of an ongoing rehabilitation project that Darkas said could take more than 10 years to complete. This is the first year that the authority received a Small Water and Sewer grant for this type of work.

Myerstown Borough, also a first-time recipient of a grant through the state program, was awarded $352,256 for upgrades to its collection system. The borough’s project involves lining the existing sewer mains — essentially putting a new pipe within the old pipe — that carry wastewater to the treatment plant.

Wastewater operations manager Barry Ludwig said his long-term goal is to have all interceptor pipes lined as a preventative measure against corrosion and deterioration.

With its grant of $246,367, the North Lebanon Township Municipal Authority will replace two force mains needed to pump wastewater uphill before gravity takes it to the City of Lebanon Authority’s treatment plant. The ductile pipes are corroding due to hydrogen sulfide present in wastewater, said Amber Royles-Eby, administrative assistant.

Both force mains will be replaced with PVC pipe. Royles-Eby said the project should go out for bid this spring with completion before the end of summer.

Two water projects also were awarded grants. These were Newmanstown Water Authority, which will receive $290,135 to modify entry points and replace water meters, and Richland Borough, which will extend the Millbach water main using a $200,000 grant.

PA Small Water and Sewer grants are a program of the Department of Community and Economic Development for municipalities and municipal authorities with water, sewer, stormwater and flood control projects. Eligible projects cannot cost less than $30,000 or more than $500,000, and the applying entity must provide matching funds of at least 15%.