Firm hired for class action settlements

The authority has signed an agreement under which a New Orleans law firm will represent it in class action settlements totaling $13 billion that public water system operators nationwide have obtained from 3M and DuPont over PFAS pollution in water systems.

Under the agreement, the local authority might be able to obtain a share of the settlement, although signing the agreement with Stag Liuzza doesn’t indicate that there is any PFAS problem here, officials said.

The funds would go toward filtration and testing of water systems, according to an online source.

PENNVEST loan approved for $9.5M

The authority was scheduled to close recently on a $9.5 million low-interest loan that was approved by PENNVEST in July for replacement of ozone disinfection systems at the Horseshoe Curve and Kettle water treatment plants and some additional work at the Curve plant.

In November, the authority awarded a pair of contracts totaling $4.8 million for the ozone replacement work to HRI Inc. of State College and Bettwy Electric of Newry. An additional $3.4 million was to be spent for ozonation equipment.

Service expands to veterans home

The authority recently accepted a public-service-line license agreement with the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for a 12-inch water line the authority will build to serve the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home, including its new residence hall.

The authority will be reimbursed by the state for the project. An advertisement for bids for construction should occur soon. The authority has obtained easements for the construction and for the completed line from a property owner along Municipal Drive. The line will replace the infrastructure served by a tank on the hill behind the Veterans Home.

Water line work ends for season

Due to the winter weather, PennDOT recently shut down the work of the authority contractor replacing a water line on Logan Boulevard in connection with

PennDOT’s planned repaving of the boulevard next year. Some work was continuing on intersecting streets.

The participants would like to resume the project on the boulevard as soon as possible, and be finished with the work by April 10, according to Water Operations Director Mike Bianconi.

NutrAWAste cost lowered

The authority has approved a price reduction from $20 to $10 a ton for the Class A biosolid NutrAWAste soil supplement the authority produces at its Westerly Sewer Treatment Plant, using a dryer installed a couple years ago as part of its anaerobic digester project.

Local landscapers and garden centers are interested in the product, as they value the soil nutrients it contains, “but not at that price,” due to their cost for picking up the soil amendment at Westerly and transporting it, along with their reluctance to pass on that extra cost to customers, said Sewer Operations Director Brad Kelly. The price will go down to $5 per ton for orders over 20 tons.

Outside biosolids can be accepted

A rules change was approved that would allow the authority to charge $50 a “wet ton” for accepting imported biosolids — “Class B sludge” — from other municipal sewer authorities to be dried in the Westerly dryer, producing additional Class A NutrAWAste.

Getting approval to do it from the state Department of Environmental Protection was challenging, despite the overall digester project being constructed under a program run by the state that guarantees participants won’t lose money over the lifetime of their digester operations, according to Kelly. The seeming inconsistency is connected to bureaus within the department — Clean Water and Waste Management — having responsibilities that can be in tension, Kelly indicated.