EAST BRANDYWINE TWP, PA — Pennsylvania has awarded Aqua Pennsylvania $2.55 million to install water-treatment infrastructure at two East Brandywine Township wells where concentrations of industrial chemicals exceed federal drinking-water limits, addressing contamination in a local public water system.
The funding, approved October 21 through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), will finance a treatment facility serving the Culbertson Run and Cross Keys wells.
State officials identified concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) above maximum contaminant levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Both substances belong to a group of synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which can persist in the environment and have been associated with adverse health effects.
The $2.546 million award will support construction of a treatment building at the Culbertson Run well station, equipped with an ion-exchange filtration system designed to remove PFAS from drinking water before distribution.
The system will use two treatment vessels arranged in a lead-lag configuration, allowing water to pass through successive filtration stages. Pre-filtration equipment will also be installed.
A new raw-water pipeline extending approximately 3,050 feet along Little Washington Lyndell Road will connect the Cross Keys well to the Culbertson Run treatment facility.
The combined system is designed to treat 75 gallons of water per minute from the two wells.
Existing infrastructure at Culbertson Run will continue handling corrosion control, pH adjustment and disinfection before treated water enters the distribution system.
The improvements will serve portions of East Brandywine Township, including areas associated with Aqua’s Friendship water system and the Culbertson Run development.
The project is intended to bring drinking water from the affected wells into compliance with federal standards by removing PFOA and PFOS.
Funding comes through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which supports water infrastructure improvements through state-administered programs.
PENNVEST classifies the award as a grant. Under the federal funding mechanism, such assistance may take the form of a principal-forgiveness loan, which does not require repayment.
The East Brandywine project is part of a broader $190.3 million PENNVEST funding package covering 24 drinking-water, wastewater and nonpoint-source pollution projects across 19 Pennsylvania counties.
The awards include additional investments in PFAS removal, lead service-line replacement and aging water infrastructure.
“Every Pennsylvanian has a constitutional right to clean water, and my Administration is committed to protecting that right by investing in the infrastructure our communities need,” Gov. Josh Shapiro stated in connection with the statewide awards.
Pennsylvania has committed more than $4.9 billion through PENNVEST since Shapiro took office, according to the administration, supporting water infrastructure projects in 63 counties.
This week award establishes funding for Aqua Pennsylvania’s East Brandywine treatment project. A construction timetable and anticipated completion date were not specified.
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