HARRISBURG – The Redbank Valley Municipal Authority (RVMA) will be better able to detect leaks and lost water in its system after a state grant was approved to purchase necessary equipment today in Harrisburg, Rep. Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion/Armstrong/Forest) and Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-Clarion/Venango/Butler) announced.
The grant, worth $103,787 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA), will be used to purchase and install water detection equipment for a comprehensive leak detection evaluation system to determine the amount of outflow occurring within each sector in the system.
“RVMA has invested a great deal of capital into numerous improvements to its water system over the years in an effort to serve additional customers throughout the Redbank Valley,” said Oberlander. “Because the service area is so large geographically, it makes perfect business sense to ensure that the authority has a system in place to make sure the water it is treating is conveyed to its customers.”
“Despite its best efforts to identify and repair the problem areas, RMVA has been aware of ongoing water leaks within its system,” Hutchinson said. “This grant will help RMVA return its system to optimal operating efficiency.”The authority will also use the state grant to purchase and install equipment to treat foul-smelling water. Testing indicated that about 8 milligrams per liter of powered activated carbon was required to reduce the odor to a non-detectable level.
The total project cost is $122,104.
The grant is made possible by the Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer Program, administered by the CFA of the Department of Community and Economic Development. That program offers grants for small water and sewer infrastructure projects and can be used to assist with the construction, improvement, expansion, or rehabilitation or repair of a water supply or sanitary sewer system.
“This program received many requests for worthwhile projects, such as those in Rimersburg and Knox,” Oberlander added. “While these weren’t included in today’s list of grants, Sen. Hutchinson and I will continue to work hard to bring vital grant money back to the district for important infrastructure projects.”
“The CFA Small Water and Sewer Grant Program is extremely competitive, and I am so pleased that RMVA was awarded this grant to make improvements to its system; however, there are several other local municipal systems also in desperate need of assistance,” said Hutchinson. “Rep. Oberlander and I are committed to working to address their funding needs as well.”