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Pennsylvania American Water named emergency receiver for Rock Spring Water Company; says water system is being stabilized
Summary
At a Ferguson Township meeting April 1, Pennsylvania American Water Company’s operations director said the company has been operating the Rock Spring Water Company system since a March 21 Public Utility Commission order, installing monitoring systems, fixing leaks, and increasing chlorine residuals while public testing continues.
Joseph Woodward, senior director of operations for Pennsylvania American Water Company, told the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors on April 1 that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on March 21 named his company the emergency receiver for Rock Spring Water Company. "We will guarantee that we will do everything to make sure the water ... is safe and meets all regulations," Woodward said.
Woodward said Pennsylvania American Water took over sampling and system control immediately, installed a cellular SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system, placed a continuous chlorine analyzer at the well, locked access to critical infrastructure, and repaired leaks. He said a previously undetected leak that had been reducing system output was addressed early in the receivership and that weekly bacteriological testing taken under the new operator returned acceptable results. "We did the last one that came back negative," he said, referring to required distribution-system testing.
On operational changes, Woodward said the company increased chlorine residuals across the distribution system to better meet regulatory requirements and provide a safety margin. He described earlier residuals in some neighborhoods as about 0.6–0.8 mg/L and said the system is now "probably in the 1, 1 and a half areas." He added that Pennsylvania rules require a minimum residual of 0.2 mg/L at the furthest points in the distribution network.
Woodward also described the public communications and interim management plan. Pennsylvania American Water has set up a page for updates (pennsylvaniaamwater.com/rockspring) and plans direct mailings and a press release once customer lists are available. He said the existing Rock Spring customer service phone number remains in use for customer billing and complaints, but the company also created an email address that directs inquiries to Pennsylvania American Water.
Board members pressed for details during an extended question-and-answer period. Mister Patterson asked Woodward for numeric evidence of improved safety; Woodward cited the new continuous chlorine monitoring, daily sampling, and negative distribution-system bacteriological results as the basis for his statement that the water is safe. Woodward disclosed that leak-detection work identified a leak that Rock Spring personnel had reported reduced pumping by about 40,000 gallons per day, but he said some figures were estimates and that the receivership team is continuing to pinpoint and repair additional losses.
On finances, Woodward said Pennsylvania American Water is operating under receivership authority, will step into the operational and financial shoes of Rock Spring for now, and intends to finance necessary interim work from Rock Spring accounts. He said the State College Borough Authority is negotiating a possible purchase of the system; the receivership creates an interim operating window (90 days initially, potentially extendable) during which those discussions may conclude.
Woodward said some longer-term fixes such as increasing available fire flow to hydrants (which would require upsizing mains) are not part of the immediate receivership actions. He said Pennsylvania American Water would do what is necessary in the interim to maintain safe service even if funding or ownership were unsettled. "If State College and Rock Springs ownership doesn't come to an agreement, there may be a place that we might have to play ultimately in ownership," he said.
The board asked about PFAS/PFOS testing; Woodward said required quarterly testing was done after the company took over but results were not yet available at the meeting. He cautioned that stricter federal standards for PFAS are anticipated in coming years. The company offered to provide updates via the township newsletter and its web page and said staff would continue to post operational actions and test results.
Next steps: Pennsylvania American Water will continue daily sampling and monitoring, complete additional leak detection and repairs, and participate in negotiations or transitions for long-term ownership while the 90-day receivership window proceeds. The board did not take a formal vote on receivership management at the meeting; the presentation and Q&A served as an informational update to supervisors and residents.
