SOURCE WATER PROTECTION
Clean safe drinking water is often taken for granted. Many people have no idea where their water comes from, how it is purified, or how it arrives at their sink. Protecting water supply has been increasingly recognized as a critical element in the mission of delivering a safe and reliable supply of drinking water to consumers. Comprehensive source water protection not only benefits the water supply, but ultimately the economic, social, and environmental well-being of a community.
Creswell Heights Joint Authority (CHJA) delivers drinking water to a population of approximately 13,000 people in Beaver and Allegheny counties. CHJA wishes to preserve and improve the safety of its drinking water supply for is customers today and into the future. the object of this project is to develop a source water protection plan that delineates the recharge areas of the CHJA water sources, determines the transport time and pathways of potential contaminats, identifies potential sources of contamination, educates the public on the importance of source water protection, plan for potential pollution events, and complies with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's regulations.
The CHJA Source Water Protection Plan can be reviewed at the CHJA's business office located in South Heights, PA.
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
DANIEL LOSCO, CHJA GENERAL MANAGER
DENISE DECANIO, CHJA CONTROLLER
RICHARD TRANTER, CHJA BOARD CHAIRMAN
A. RENEE WHITEMAN, CHJA BOARD
WILLIAM PERSUITTE, CHJA BOARD
PROJECTS
CHJA Source Water Protection received $1,000.00 grant from Water Resources Education Network (WREN). This grant allowed CHJA to send informative brochures to over 5,700 customers in the service area. It also enabled CHJA to provide Advanced Hydrogeology Kits to 5th graders in the Hopewell Area School District. This will allow them to perform their own water activities in the classroom.
CHJA continuted it's educational efforts in 2016 with the receipt of another $3,000 grant. Equipment was purchased to continue the Trout in the Classroom program which was in dire need of improvements. Otherwise the program would be discontinued. This program raises awareness of students, teachers, and also parents about water conservation while raising brook trout from eggs to fingerlings in a classroom aquarium. The second half of this project was classroom presentations and demonstrations using an Enviroscape shared with Vanport Water Authority explaining source water protection. Six different classes attended the presentation that explained the wellfields and what is necessary to keep the drinking water safe.
CHJA joined with the Ohio River Regional Partnership Source Water Protection Plan developed by River Alert Information Network.This meeting brought together other water systems along the Ohio River and will allow CHJA to expand its reach to the public and have larger impact and implementation of SWP strategies and emergency response
a storm drain campaign was underway with Cub Scout Pack #435 and South Heights Borough. Storm drains were marked which would directly affect the wells. A meeting was held with public officials from Hopewell, Crescent, South Heights, emergency response from Crescent and Beaver County Planning.
A presentation was given by Joel Jordan of PA Rural Water Association along with Tom McCaffery of Department of Environmental Protection. The meeting informed everyone in attendance of source water protection and POCs. A tour of the facility was given by CHJA General Manager. CHJA has now partnered with other local authorities to maximize SWP efforts. A spokesman from Homeland Security gave a presentation along with a River Alert Information Network.
Barriers and “no trucks” signs were added to the project.It became an immediate threat to the wellfields recently that large tractor trailer/tanker trucks were entering directly the area directly next to the wellfield to turn around because they could not pass through a tunnel on the street. The barrier and signs were installed along with South Heights Borough.This inhibits trucks from turning around in that area and also from hitting railroad tracks which could cause a catastrophic event.
