Pennsylvania American Water finishes $8.8 million Aldrich work
Share with others:
Pennsylvania American Water Company this morning unveiled $8.8 million in upgrades to its E.H. Aldrich Station in the Mon Valley.
The upgrades at the Aldrich plant -- located along the Monongahela River in Union -- are part of a $101 million investment the company is making to improve service and safety at its Pittsburgh-area water treatment facilities.
The investment represents "one of the largest capital improvement projects" in the company's history, said company President Kathy L. Pape.
A $90 million renovation project at the Hays Mine Treatment Plant and Becks Run Pumping Station in Baldwin Borough is expected to be completed by October, while $1 million in improvements at the Arlington Booster Station in Pittsburgh was recently finished.
The Hays and Aldrich plants have the capacity to treat 110 million gallons of water per day for customers in Washington and Allegheny counties.
In addition to enabling the Aldrich plant to comply with new regulatory standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and improve treatment processes, the Aldrich upgrade enhances public safety by replacing gas chlorine with liquid chlorine to address concerns associated with gas storage, Ms. Pape said.
Part of the improvements include construction of a 4,000-square-foot facility where the company can manufacture its own liquid chlorine, which is diluted to .08 percent -- milder than the chlorine bleach sold in stores.
That means the solution is safer to handle, store and transport, said project engineer Jay Lucas.
"We're proud of the construction work we've done here," he said.
State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, thanked the company for using local vendors to complete the project and for providing a safe, reliable source of drinking water for its 2.2 million customers in Pennsylvania.
First Published June 8, 2012 12:33 pm
