Merski: $2.5 million loan to fund critical upgrades for Summit Township sewage system
Will fund replacement of Oliver Road pump station, pipeline upgrades
Rep. Robert Merski April 21, 2021 | 1:34 PM
ERIE, April 21 – A $2.5 million loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority will fund a project to substantially increase sewage handling capacity at Summit Township’s Oliver Road pump station, state Rep. Bob Merski, D-Erie, announced today.
Merski said the loan to the Erie City Water Authority will fund work to replace the pump station and several thousand feet of force main pipeline and gravity sewer so the system can handle additional connections.
“Like much of our region’s aging infrastructure, the Oliver Road pump station has reached the end of its useful life, and recent development in the area is placing overloads on the system,” Merski said. “Summit Township is under a corrective action plan prohibiting new connections until sewage capacity is increased.
“Replacing the pump station will increase capacity from 180 to 800 gallons per minute and allow the system to meet the demands of new and future growth. It’s estimated that the upgrades will enhance service for more than 57,000 residents. They will also reduce the danger of untreated or inadequately treated sewage discharging into local waterways that drain into Elk Creek and Lake Erie.”
Merski said that in addition to replacing the pump station, the work will include replacing a 4-inch force main pipeline with 2,000 feet of 8-inch force main, 4,100 feet of 8-inch gravity sewer with 12-inch sewer, and 2,600 feet of 12-inch gravity sewer with 15-inch gravity sewer.
The $2.5 million loan has a term of 20 years and a rate of 1% during the interest-only period and first five years of amortization, increasing to 1.743% from years six to maturity.
The total project cost is $3.1 million, with the additional $600,000 from other sources.