Communities asked to extend sanitary authority for $18M loan

The four communities that founded the Upper Allegheny Joint Sanitary Authority are being asked to extend its life so the authority can borrow $18 million.

The money would be spent on equipment and infrastructure such as a bigger pump station and lines and a new retention tank to increase the volume of waste the authority’s system can handle and prevent overflows of untreated sewage into the Allegheny River, general Manager Tim Kuhns said.

It is not expected to increase customers’ rates, he said. The authority currently charges $27 per month for the first 2,000 gallons, and then $5.75 for each additional 1,000 gallons.

The authority wants to borrow the $18 million over 30 years, Kuhns said.

To allow for that, elected officials in Brackenridge, East Deer, Harrison and Tarentum are being asked to extend the authority’s life by 50 years, to 2069.

The authority’s life currently goes to 2036.

Tarentum Council is expected to vote when it meets Thursday. It would be the first municipality to approve the extension, Kuhns said.

Tarentum Solicitor David Regoli called the extension “standard” in that the authority wouldn’t be able to borrow money for longer than its life.

The authority serves about 10,000 customers, according to Kuhns. In addition to the four founding municipalities, it also serves customers in Buffalo Township, Fawn and Frazer. Approval from those towns is not required because they are served under contracts with the authority but did not participate in its creation.