Pennsylvania American Water to upgrade EH Aldrich treatment plant

Pennsylvania American Water has announced a $5.5m upgrade at its EH Aldrich Treatment Plant in Elrama, Washington County.

The company will construct a new 100ft-diameter water treatment residual clarifier tank, and update the existing water treatment residual clarifier to prevent freezing during winter months. Clarifiers are used to settle sediment prior to the filtration process.

The company is also installing a 42in parallel raw water main and a filter-to-waste system as part of the upgrade programme. The filter-to-waste system will automate the filtering process. The new water main will run parallel to the existing 42in raw water line and act as a back-up in case of emergency, limiting future service outages.

Pennsylvania American Water production manager Jasun Stanton said that the company prudently invests in improvements at its water treatment plants based on best practices in the industry.

"Building a redundant main that feeds our plant, automating the filter-to-waste process and improving our clarifier system help to ensure that our Washington County customers continue to receive drinking water that meets or exceeds regulatory standards," Stanton added.

The company expects to complete the project by the end of the year.