Rep. Martin Causer and Sen. Cris Dush have announced a $2 million low-interest loan for the Keating Township Municipal Authority’s project aimed at improving the region’s drinking water service. This funding intends to enhance water supply to northwestern Keating Township and parts of Foster, Lafayette, Otto, and Bradford townships.
Causer remarked, “This is a long overdue project that will ensure safe and reliable drinking water to hundreds of residents in northwestern Keating Township, as well as portions of Foster, Lafayette, Otto and Bradford townships.” He expressed support for the investment in public health and safety in these areas.
Dush highlighted the importance of the project, stating, “Properly functioning water and sewer systems are very important to the safety and well-being of any community, but are very expensive to build and maintain.” He also noted that PENNVEST grants and low-interest loans help mitigate these costs, safeguarding local water supplies and promoting public health without heavily impacting ratepayers.
The Keating Township Municipal Authority plans to design a new drinking water system for several unincorporated communities in McKean County, including Rew, Aiken, Gifford, Cyclone, and Ormsby. The plan involves sourcing water from the Bradford City Water Authority via a transmission line starting from Big Shanty Road in Lafayette Township.
To support this initiative, a 300,000-gallon storage tank and rechlorination system is proposed in Gifford, expanding service along State Route 646. New water meters and service laterals will be installed, phasing out current private water systems.
The new system will serve approximately 280 households in Keating Township, 81 in Foster Township, 32 in Lafayette Township, five in Otto Township, and one in Bradford Township. The interest rate on the loan is set at 1%.
PENNVEST, operational since 1988, supports sewer, stormwater, and drinking water projects in Pennsylvania. It utilizes federal funding, state bond issues, and proceeds from Act 13 of 2012, known as the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee, rather than the state’s General Fund.
