Fairchance considers transferring water customers
FAIRCHANCE — Fairchance Borough Council on Wednesday agreed to contact the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) to ask if 31 borough water customers could be transferred to a different water provider.
Council voted to authorize solicitor Simon John to contact the PUC to ask if the borough can transfer the customers in the Dry Hill Knob Road area to the North Fayette County Municipal Authority.
The vote came after Marcia Martin asked if transferring those customers to North Fayette would free up enough water taps to allow the borough to issue two taps to the Green Brier Estates development.
On numerous occasions in the past, council has discussed transferring those customers to North Fayette or the Mountain Watershed Association because the 40 to 50 year old, 1-inch line that provides water to Dry Hill Knob Road residents needs to be replaced and having fewer customers would reduce the borough’s water usage, which has exceeded its permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Councilman Robert Ellsworth said calculations have shown that eliminating those 31 customers would not reduce the overall water usage enough to comply with the permit.
The PUC granted the borough permission to transfer 29 customers to the Mountain Watershed Association many years ago, but the borough back out of the deal because the PUC required the borough to cover the customers’ transfer costs, John said.
Council President Howard McGhee said the Mountain Watershed Association is not interested in the 31 customers, but North Fayette sent the borough a letter saying it would accept the customers.
North Fayette already has a newer water line in the Dry Hill Knob Road area that those customers could tap into, Councilman James McDonough said, adding that the fire hydrants in that area are connected to North Fayette’s line, he added.