PENNVEST awarded a $9.5 million low-interest loan Wednesday to the Altoona Water Authority for replacement of the ozonation systems at the Horseshoe Curve and Kettle water treatment plants, plus additional work at the Curve plant.

The replacement of the ozonation systems installed as long as 30 years ago would be the last such work at this time for the authority, following projects at its four other active plants — Tipton, Mill Run, Plane 9 and Bellwood.

The old ozonation systems are obsolete, and replacement parts are hard to get, so staffers have struggled to keep the systems operational, officials have said.

The additional work comprises replacement of two bulk chemical storage tanks and electrical upgrades, according to a news release announcing the funding from state Sen. Judy Ward, R-30th District, and state Reps. Lou Schmitt, R-79th District, and Scott Barger, R-80th District.

In February, authority officials predicted they would ask PENNVEST for between $6 million and $7 million for the ozonation projects.

They ended up asking for more due to the additional work, according to authority spokesman Daniel Ramsey.

It hasn’t been determined yet when the projects would take place, Ramsey said.

Smaller than the old ozonation systems, the new ones rely on liquid oxygen tanks and an ozone generator that splits the oxygen molecules and re-forms them as ozone gas that is mixed with water for disinfection.

Ozone treatment kills bacteria, protozoa and algae, removes taste and odor problems caused by iron and manganese, has the capability of neutralizing “emerging” contaminants and is a general, all-around disinfection agent.

The authority had been hopeful that some of the PENNVEST money would be in the form of a grant, based on favorable adjustments that PENNVEST had made to its affordability index, coupled with a rise in authority water rates.

PENNVEST also awarded the Roaring Spring Municipal Authority a $2.325 million low-interest loan to replace separate deteriorating pump stations for raw water and for finished water distribution with a single pump station that will serve both functions.

The new pump station will take raw water from the Roaring Spring reservoir and place it under distribution pressure with a single set of pumps, according to the lawmakers’ news release.

Workers will install new chlorination equipment, whose entry point will be relocated to achieve effective chlorine contact time.