Board Updates: WEWJA’s Consent Order and Agreement

Understanding our Consent Order and Agreement

WEWJA is addressing two long-standing challenges in our wastewater conveyance and treatment system through a multi-year improvements plan. First, our treatment plant still relies on outdated chlorine-based disinfection technology, which no longer meets modern discharge standards. Second, our large-diameter sewer pipes struggle to keep up during heavy rain events, leading to backups and overflows — issues that largely occur in wooded areas away from the community.

Over the past few years, WEWJA has worked proactively and transparently with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulators to understand the scope of these needed infrastructure improvements. That collaboration resulted in a Consent Order and Agreement (COA), a legally binding roadmap that lays out what must be fixed and by when. Under the COA, WEWJA is required to bid associated construction projects by January 31, 2031, with construction to follow in subsequent years.

WEWJA has developed a Basis of Design Report for Conveyance and Treatment Improvements, a roadmap document that outlines the strategy, rationale, criteria, and considerations for upcoming design work. In addition, WEWJA is preparing an updated Regional Act 537 Plan, a living document that outlines current and future sanitary sewer needs for our service area. All this preparation will allow for smooth and comprehensive engineering design work in the coming years.

The system in place today is past its useful life. These sewer assets, which are mostly 50-75 years old, must be rehabilitated or replaced to serve our community for the next several decades. Today, we are  addressing those accumulated needs head-on, with improvements that will strengthen water quality from our treatment plant, protect the environment from sewer overflows during heavy rain, and support our region's growth for decades to come. Look for more updates as design work progresses.

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Construction updates:

Two important infrastructure projects are moving forward across our system

Summit Pump Station Improvements Project — Now about 75% complete, this $650,000 project replaces an aging 6-inch forcemain pipe that had repeatedly broken down over the years. The scope includes new submersible pumps, updated electrical controls, and 1,850 feet of new 4-inch forcemain pipe to improve reliability for years to come.

2025–2026 Sewer Rehabilitation Project — This $1.1 million project uses trenchless, cured-in-place pipe lining to restore the service life of sewer mains. Rehabilitating pipes this way extends their lifespan and helps WEWJA avoid more disruptive and costly excavation work down the road.