Sen. Cris Dush and Rep. Martin Causer have announced a $2 million low-interest loan for the Keating Township Municipal Authority. The loan aims to enhance the drinking water service in the region.
“Properly functioning water and sewer systems are very important to the safety and well-being of any community, but are very expensive to build and maintain,” Dush said. “Fortunately, PENNVEST grants and low-interest loans exist to significantly offset these costs which means ratepayers do not have to bear the brunt of these expensive infrastructure improvement projects that in the end safeguard local water supplies, prevent pollution in our streams, and promote public health.”
Causer added, “This is a long overdue project that will ensure safe and reliable drinking water to hundreds of residents in northwestern Keating Township, as well as portions of Foster, Lafayette, Otto and Bradford townships. I was pleased to support this important investment in public health and public safety in these communities.”
The funding will help design a new drinking water system for communities including Rew, Aiken, Gifford, Cyclone, and Ormsby in McKean County. The preliminary plans involve purchasing water from Bradford City Water Authority via a transmission line beginning at the intersection of Big Shanty Road and Droney Road in Lafayette Township. A key feature includes a 300,000-gallon storage tank and re-chlorination system proposed for Gifford, with plans to expand service along State Route 646.
The proposed system will service about 280 households in Keating Township and other households in Foster, Lafayette, Otto, and Bradford townships. The loan’s interest rate is set at 1%.
Established in 1988, PENNVEST aids communities with funding for sewer, storm water, and drinking water projects through federal funding and previous state bond issues, as well as proceeds from the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee.
