News Releases from Region 03
EPA Recognizes New Haven Public Service District for Excellence and Innovation in Clean Water Infrastructure
Contact: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548 sternberg.david@epa.gov
EPA Recognizes New Haven Public Service District for Excellence and Innovation in Clean Water Infrastructure
PHILADELPHIA (November 8, 2017) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has recognized the New Haven Public Service District for its Tank Gravity Septic System in Winona, West Virginia which received Honorable Mention for excellence and innovation within the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program. EPA’s Performance and Innovation in the SRF Creating Environmental Success (PISCES) program celebrates innovation demonstrated by CWSRF programs and assistance recipients.
The CWSRF is a federal-state partnership that provides communities a permanent, independent source of low-cost financing for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects. Over the past 30 years, CWSRF programs have provided more than $125 billion in financing for water quality infrastructure.
“For decades the Clean Water State Revolving Fund has supported critical water infrastructure projects that help grow the American economy and support our way of life,” said Mike Shapiro, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “These projects are a testament to the power of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund in leveraging investment to meet the country’s diverse clean water needs.”
The community of Winona is a former coal camp of 99 homes and commercial buildings located in Fayette County, West Virginia. Current wastewater disposal practices in Winona consist of direct discharges and failing septic systems that release raw or partially treated wastewater into local ditches, ravines, and streams. Because of this, Keeney Creek, which flows through the center of the community, has the highest frequency of bacteria violations in the New River watershed.
This project creates a state-of-the-art decentralized sewer system through a series of distributed high capacity septic systems. The project will treat wastewater using Orenco Advantex technology, which recirculates effluent through sheets of textile filters that last longer and require less maintenance than alternatives.
The project also combines principal forgiveness from the CWSRF with grant funding from two state agencies to keep the project affordable (under $60 per month) for this low-income community. The flexibility of the CWSRF to provide funding for pre-bid engineering, legal, accounting, and administrative costs was key to making this project a reality.
Twenty-eight projects by state or local governments, public utilities, and private entities were recognized by the 2017 PISCES program. Honored projects include large wastewater infrastructure projects to small decentralized and agriculture projects.
More about each of these projects and the PISCES program can be found: https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf/pisces