CHESTER, PA — Chester Water Authority (CWA) produces and delivers high-quality drinking water directly to 93% of the families and businesses in Aston Township through CWA pipes. The other 7% in Aston Township (672 residences and businesses), which CWA refers to as the “Aston 600,” also enjoy high-quality CWA water, but because the last portion of their water pipes are owned by AQUA Pennsylvania, Inc., a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, Inc., they pay more than twice the CWA rate for their water. These Aston 600 are located north of the West Branch of Chester Creek and on the south side of Lenni Road.
“It doesn’t take the Mare of Easttown to see the injustice in the fact that 7% of Aston’s residents and businesses, in the Second Ward, pay more than twice as much for the same water as the other 93% of Aston,” explains Chester Water Authority Board Chair, Cynthia Leitzell. “Since the Aston 600’s water pipeline was sold to Big Water, they have paid an estimated $3.5 million dollars more than their neighbors. CWA would like the opportunity to right this injustice.”
Today CWA volunteers and employees are bringing the “Free the Aston 600” message directly to customers’ doors. They are sharing information about the rate disparity along with giving a CWA water glass to each household. As their delivery cleverly says, “You’ve been drinking CWA water for almost 50 years. Have a glass on us.”
CWA began producing water for the Media Borough Water Authority in 1974 through a connecting pipeline. In 1995, Media sold this connecting pipeline to Aqua. Aqua paid Media a purchase price of about $25 million dollars for the Media System. Despite the fierce objections of Aston, Upper Providence, Nether Providence, and Middletown Townships who all obtained their water from Media Borough Water Authority, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved the sale of the Media system to Aqua on March 30, 1995. The sale closed on May 23, 1995.
While Media paid off the debt on their water system and placed approximately $5.5 million into other capital improvements including a municipal complex, the surrounding region that bought water from the Media Borough Water Authority did not receive any financial benefit from the sale of the water system to Aqua. The only thing the customers of the Media Borough Water Authority, including the Aston 600, received out of the deal was a multigenerational legacy of permanently higher water rates.
“Aqua is an investor-owned utility that is beholden to shareholders—shareholders who desire the most lucrative investments for their money,” notes Leitzell. “CWA is a municipal water authority and a non-profit entity run by a board of nine directors representing the three main service areas—Delco, Chesco and Chester. CWA’s focus is producing the highest-quality, most affordable water to its ratepayers. The difference in motivation is clear. Water is life and the ability to obtain affordable, quality water should not be about profits.”
Only two months after the sale closed in 1995, Aqua began the process of raising rates for its new customers. Today, the disparity between what Aqua charges and what CWA charges is wide. As of December 31, 2021, a residential customer using 4500 gallons per month under Aqua PUC proposed rates will pay about $1072 per year for water service while the same Aston customer receiving the same water from CWA pays about $400 per year.1 Aqua’s customer rates include charges for their company’s state and federal income tax. Shareholders do not pay the taxes on Aqua’s corporate taxable income, ratepayers do. For every dollar that Aqua collects to run its system, pay its stockholders, and pay taxes and state assessments, it must charge its ratepayers an estimated $1.43.
Paul Andriole, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors explains, “CWA wants to break free the Aston 600 by directly serving the Aston Aqua customers currently drinking CWA-produced water. Why should a family or business in Aqua’s area of Aston pay an estimated $672 more per year for the same water than a family located in the CWA area of the Township? The answer is they shouldn’t. We encourage the Aston 600 to call their elected officials and ask for help.”
To compare water rates of municipal water authorities, such as CWA and for-profit water providers, such as Aqua and American Water, visit chesterwater.com/map.
- Includes the current rate increase requested by Aqua from the PUC. Any rate increases effective after 1/1/22 including DISC charges, will affect these numbers and change the relative comparison between CWA and Aqua.
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