North Huntingdon authority bumps up sewage tap-in fee

The North Huntingdon Township Municipal Authority’s sewage rates will remain the same in the coming fiscal year, but tap-in fees will increase, the authority manager said.

The $13.1 million operating budget expenditures include $2.47 million in sewage treatment for customers of the Western Westmoreland Municipal Authority plant along Route 993 and $173,000 for customers of Alcosan in Pittsburgh, said Michael Branthoover, authority manager.

The North Huntingdon authority’s capital projects over the next five years include replacing the Hartford Heights pump station and planning the Larimer pump station replacement. Those projects are funded through its capital reserve fund and money from the state’s financing authority water grants.

The residential tap-in fee was increased from $5,500 to $5,635 per equivalent dwelling unit, effective July 1. The tap-in fee is based on guidelines and requirements under the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act, which permits an authority to recover allowable costs spent on capital expenditures, to retire debt and help pay for capital projects, Branthoover said.

The authority maintains more than 260 miles of sewer lines, 6,000 manholes, 14 pumping stations, and a 3.3 million-gallon-per-day treatment facility on Turner Valley Road.