STORIES OF PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING HEALTHY WATERS
^pR0^° EPA Region 3 Water Protection Division
Pennsylvania Village to Get Safe,
Reliable Water Supply
Hazle Township, Pennsylvania • June 4, 2015
A Pennsylvania village whose unfiltered, contaminated
water source made it the Commonwealth's top violator of
federal and state drinking water laws will be connected to
a public water system in 2015 with $2.2 million from EPA's
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).
The Hazleton City Authority (HCA) received the EPA funding
through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority
(PENNVEST) to install a two-mile, 12-inch water distribution
line connecting about 40 homes in the Village of Stockton in
Hazle Township. The water line will allow Stockton to abandon
its current unregulated water system and provide a safe,
reliable source of drinking water for its residents.
Stockton has drawn its water from three small surface ponds,
according to the HCA, that are subject to runoff pollution and
found by the state in 2014 to be contaminated with giardia,
bacteria and iron. The ponds are connected to most homes
through an old, three-inch piping system "in terrible shape" that
in some places has only a pinky's width of flow. The HCA has
been providing a portable water tank as a temporary measure.
J "
Hazle Township, PA
ATA GLANCE
•	Benefits from EPA infrastructure funding
through DWSRF.
•	Highest ranked need in Pennsylvania to
be finally resolved.
The project is considered a milestone for safe drinking water in
Pennsylvania since it targets corrective funding to a community identified by EPA's Enforcement
Tracking Tool (ETT) and other systems as being in significant non-compliance with the federal Safe
Drinking Water Act and state laws and regulations.
Vince Gallo of the EPA Mid-Atlantic Region's Water Protection Division noted that the ETT uses a
system of points applied to each violation. A score of 11 or more signifies that a system has serious
problems. Stockton's ETT score in 2015 was 319.
The Stockton system has had no operator or responsible ownership since it was discovered as a water
system about five years ago. According to HCA Engineer John Synoski, the project will provide a
filtered, dependable, high quality source of water, full fire protection, and regular maintenance. "We're
very grateful for the grant," he said. Work is expected to start in July and be completed this fall
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Professional Engineering Services
program was instrumental in coordinating the assistance.
EPA provides DWSRF funding to states to provide low interest loans and grants for capital
improvement projects. The Stockton project demonstrates how funding can be linked with enforcement
efforts to correct the most serious drinking water violations and protect public health.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Region 3 Water Protection Division
Philadelphia, PA
For additional information contact:
Vince Gallo, qallo.vince@epa.gov
EPA WPD Office of Infrastructure and Assistance

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