Pennsylvania American Water Invested $400 Million Statewide in 2020

Pennsylvania American Water announced today its end-of-year investment total and system improvement recap for 2020. In just 12 months, the company invested $400 million to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure across the Commonwealth – delivering on its significant capital investment plan despite the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“Our goal at Pennsylvania American Water is to provide safe, reliable, environmentally responsible water and wastewater service to the 2.4 million Pennsylvanians who rely on us,” said Mike Doran, president of Pennsylvania American Water. “From source to tap and back to the source again, our team of professionals works hard to maintain and improve our facilities to keep them operating efficiently, meeting regulatory standards and delivering high quality water and wastewater service. I am so proud of our team for achieving these results while operating under new protocols to protect the health and safety of each other and our customers during this unprecedented year.”

Each year, Pennsylvania American Water invests hundreds of millions of dollars in its infrastructure to maintain and upgrade treatment and distribution (pipeline) systems. This includes improvements to treatment plants, wells, tanks, pump stations, pipes, valves, fire hydrants and metering equipment to sustain current operations while supporting resiliency for the future.

Pennsylvania American Water customers can see how the company put their monthly bills to work in 2020 on the company’s 2020 Infrastructure Upgrade Map. This web-based user-friendly map provides public transparency to how the company is investing in water main replacement projects throughout its service area as part of its overall system improvements.

“This year’s investments demonstrate our continued commitment to constantly replace and upgrade aging water infrastructure so that clean, safe water is there when you need it,” Doran continued. “Not only are these investments critical to the public’s health and safety, but they also support the economic health of the communities we serve. Economic impact studies show that for every $1 million invested in water infrastructure, more than 15 total jobs are generated throughout the economy, which means our investment in 2020 alone supported more than 6,200 jobs across the Commonwealth amidst a global pandemic.”

The company’s 2020 system improvement highlights include:

• Water and Wastewater Mains: Pennsylvania American Water invested approximately $130 million to replace more than 126 miles (667,747 feet) of aging water and sewer pipelines. Additionally, Pennsylvania American Water invested more than $3 million in automated leak detection equipment in 2020 to further enhance its ability to locate and repair leaks. As a result of this technology, the company found and repaired 369 non-surfacing leaks.

• Pennsylvania American Water invested more than $46 million for improvements to its water and wastewater treatment facilities across the state. Major projects included treatment upgrades at its Butler, Hershey, New Castle, Norristown, Silver Spring, Stony Garden, West Shore and Yardley water treatment plants and treatment and capacity upgrades at the Scranton wastewater treatment plant.  

• Hydrants, Valves and Service Lines: Pennsylvania American Water replaced over 1600 fire hydrants and 1300 valves across the state, an approximately $9.5 million investment, along with roughly 16,000 service lines totaling approximately $20 million.

• Tanks/Storage: Pennsylvania American Water rehabilitated five water tanks and one treatment unit as well as and conducted detailed inspections on more than 75 tanks, an investment totaling approximately $6 million.

Pennsylvania American Water also recently released its 2020 Community Impact Report, providing an overview of the company’s charitable giving and community engagement efforts throughout 2020. In total, the company contributed $848,000 to organizations in the community through grants, scholarships and COVID-19 relief donations as well as direct assistance to help customers pay their water or wastewater bill.