May 11, 2007 2 min read

Congressman John P. Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announced that the Washington Township Municipal Authority, Fayette County, has received a $1 million grant through the Army Corps of Engineers for the township sanitary sewerage system project. The Washington Township sewerage system project consists of the installation of more than 36 miles of sanitary sewer ranging in size from 4-inch to 12-inch diameter. Three sewage pumping stations will be constructed as a part of the project and will provide sewage collection service in the Lynnwood, Washington Heights, Fairhope, Arnold City, Brownstown and Naomi areas of Washington Township.

“This project will provide Washington Township with a modern sewerage system that will stimulate the growth of both residents and economic development,” Murtha said.

The Washington Township project is estimated to cost approximately $15.6 million. In addition to construction of the sewers and pumping stations in Washington Township, the project will necessitate an enlargement of the sewage treatment plant owned and operated by the Municipal Authority of the Borough of Belle Vernon, which will receive and treat the sewage from the new system in Washington Township.

Additional funding for the project will come from an expected loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (Pennvest) and by tap-in fees charged to sewer customers. The $1 million grant will allow the borrowing for the project to be reduced in the hope of significantly reducing the tap-in fees for homeowners. Construction on the project is expected to be under way before the end of the year.