Harrisburg – January 20, 2021 – Sen. John Sabatina (D-Philadelphia) announced an award to the City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST). The award is a low-interest loan in the amount of $100,115,000 for waste water treatment at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant (3899 Richmond Street). 

“This infusion of funds will enable the Water Department to construct a new 300-million gallons-per-day treatment facility,” Sabatina said. 

The planned project includes a diversion structure to reroute wastewater flow from existing 66-inch and 78-inch sewer interceptors, new screening and grit removal systems, and a tie-in conduit to connect to existing primary sedimentation tanks.

“In addition to the many jobs this funding creates, there’s tremendous health benefits for our community,” Sabatina said. “This project will reduce the combined sewer overflows entering into the Delaware River and will significantly reduce adverse impacts on fish and aquatic wildlife.”

Sabatina also added that this project will help the City of Philadelphia meet numerous regulatory requirements under the Federal Clean Water Act and the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law. 

Overall there are 485,000 service connections to this project. Thanks to the low interest funding, PWD customers shouldn’t see a bill increase.

“Water bill rates are not expected to increase as this is an existing system,” Sabatina explained.

More about the project:

The screening facilities are housed in a new 18,000 square foot building and include two 72-inch magnetic flow meters, and six mechanically cleaned bar screens and associated screening conveyance, and collection systems. The grit facilities include six 26-foot diameter hydraulically induced vortex grit tanks surrounding an 8,000 square foot pipe gallery which includes two grit pumps and associated piping for each tank. 

A new two-stage odor control system will include two trains each consisting of a bio-trickling scrubber followed by carbon absorber to treat odorous compounds associated with the new facilities. A gas main and electrical infrastructure will be relocated to accommodate the new facilities.

More about PENNVEST:

PENNVEST’s low cost financial assistance helps make the water that is consumed every day by thousands of Pennsylvanians safe to drink. It helps clean rivers and streams in communities for the enjoyment of our citizens and the protection of our natural resources. PENNVEST funding also assists businesses to locate and expand their operations in Pennsylvania to create permanent, well-pay jobs for our workers.

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